


Baby No Jutsu

by Charlottee



Category: Naruto
Genre: Humor, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Kind of female Sasuke, M/M, Mpreg, NaruSasu - Freeform, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-11-26 11:40:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18180119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlottee/pseuds/Charlottee
Summary: Sasuke has only two ambitions in life, one of them had been fufilled, and the other - he was working on it. Come on, how hard can pregnancy be, right? Well knowing Naruto, he will find a way of complicating things





	1. The Plan

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I wrote this when I was 14 and never finished it. I've been recently inspired to revisit this by some amazing NaruSasu fics I've been reading. If you love NaruSasu like I do, please check out work by FranBunny, Heimai and Samauke09 - that is just to name a few.
> 
> This is my first time posting something on here, so I'm kinda nervous, but if you enjoy this let me know and I can post the next chapter soon as it is almost ready to go! This first chapter is quite short, the next ones will be longer.

###### 

### Chapter One: The Plan 

Sasuke Uchiha had only two ambitions in life, one of them had been fulfilled, and the other – well he was working on it.

 

She mewled as his oversized canines nipped and sucked along the exposed flesh of her neck, and his tanned hands ran up and down the curve of her waist before hoisting the dark-haired woman up by her thighs. She wrapped her long legs around him as he stumbled over to the bed. That delicious mouth moved from her neck to crash their lips together in an aggressive kiss.  


“Off.” She ordered, tugging at the blonde’s hideous jacket. Honestly what kind of ninja wears orange?  


Soon they were both naked and the blonde took a moment to admire the pale woman beneath him in all her glory. At first glance she appeared vaguely disinterested, but there was no denying the lust in her half-lidded dark eyes, no disguising the pink flush dusting her cheeks. The alcohol coursing through his veins only seemed to sharpen his senses. He took in everything in front of him with hungry eyes, from the delicate arches of her feet to sensual slope of her breasts, which perfectly complimented her petite frame.  


He had never seen someone as beautiful as her, yet she seemed so familiar – “Stop staring and do something.” Her sultry voice interrupted his thoughts. “Idiot.” She added for good measure.  


The blonde grinned at her impatience, “You are toooo beautiful” he slurred and leaned down to kiss her once more. It briefly crossed her mind that drunk men shouldn’t be able to kiss this way, but it’s not like she had any real experience in the matter and any concerns were wiped from her consciousness as soon as large hands moved to caress her breasts and tease her rosy-pink nipples. He touched her so gently, like he was afraid he would break her, she guessed some would find it sweet but it only drove her to frustration.  


“Just get on with it, Naruto.”  


She didn’t want to _make love_ , she wanted to get the job done. 

Blonde eyebrows furrowed and he paused looking all kinds of confused.  


“Do what exactly?”  


The dark-haired woman sighed, “Just fuck me.”  


Thankfully no further instructions were needed as Naruto entered her without any finesse whatsoever, moaning loudly in her ear. She winced at the initial intrusion, but as Naruto started to move, she was surprised to find that it was more than pleasant. The feeling of Naruto inside her. It never occurred to her that she would get any enjoyment from this process. She decided to put that thought to one side, along with the rest of the events from this night, later to be filled away in that box she buries deep down, never to see the light of day.  


She dug her fingernails into the meat of his shoulders as Naruto picked the pace, thrusting aggressively. She inwardly cringed at the erotic sound of their activities, she reminded herself of the goal. Why she was doing this, and with that in mind she tightened her thighs around his thick waist which seemed to spur him on.  


“Naruto!”  


Later, she would curse herself for enjoying this too much, but right now she was too caught up in the heat of the moment to care. She became acutely aware of that familiar sensation building within her.  


“Fuck…I’m gonna…” He panted in her ear.  


Her toes curled and her eyes screwed shut as she climaxed. The blonde slowed his movements, and she swore she could feel his cum flood her jutsu-created uterus  


Naruto rolled off her ungracefully and slumped next to the beautiful stranger.  


“That was…” His eyes fluttered shut. “Hey, what was your name again?”  


The words were punctuated with a light snore, and she was most definitely relieved that a response was no longer expected. She too, was exhausted, but she couldn’t possibly stay here. There would be too many questions come morning and that would affect ‘The Plan’. She forced her body to move up off the bed. Ignoring the aching in her joints and stickiness between her legs. 

Her movements must have disturbed the blonde’s slumber as a hand reached out towards the now empty side of the bed.  


“S’suke…Stay.”  


She ignored the sleep talk and redressed, pulling on the strappy, midnight-blue slip dress she had chosen to wear for the evening. It highlighted her temporarily-feminine physique, her subtle curves and her prominent décolletage. It wasn’t like she normally gave much thought to her attire, but it was all to aid in the seduction of the idiot. However, she found that with the amount of alcohol Naruto consumed, very little seducing was needed on her part. Once she located her sandals, she headed to the bedroom door.  


She glanced back at the sleeping blonde and tried desperately to overlook the uneasy feeling that had begun to settle in the pit of her stomach.  


 

_‘Stage one of the mission complete.’_

__

###### 

Once he was home in his own bed, Sasuke gently rubbed the flat planes of his stomach, thinking of the cells that were currently dividing inside of him. He had injected himself with a fertility drug in order to conceive first time (because having to get Naruto drunk and have sex with him multiple times would be more than horrendous).

Of course, he had thought this through. ‘The Plan’ consisted of three stages.

_Stage One:_ Perform jutsu, get Naruto drunk and fuck.  


_Stage Two_ : Perform alteration on the first jutsu – (allowing him to have the necessary female internal organs, yet retain the rest of his male features) and make it through the nine months of pregnancy.  


_Stage Three_ : Give birth.

He still needed to adjust a few, finer details, but he was for the most part fully prepared and had taken into consideration every possible complication that could arise.  
He was currently on a kind of ‘training sabbatical’ for the next 10 months, so he wouldn’t have to worry about going on missions, or people wondering where he was. He intended on inhabiting a small bungalow in a remote village somewhere on the boarder of Fire country. He had once passed through the village on his travels with Orochimaru. Back then, it struck him as the kind of place one could keep to themselves, in peace and quiet. Which is exactly what he needed in order to carry out the rest of ‘The Plan’.  


After the birth of his child, he would return to Konoha. Obviously, he would have to come up with a story as to how he became a father, but he could think of that later.  


Sasuke couldn’t sleep, he was too anxious. 

_Had it actually worked?_

_Would he be able to deliver a healthy baby?_

_What if Naruto suspected something?’_

Well he wouldn’t have to worry about the last one. It was a well-known fact that Naruto wasn’t the smartest ninja in the world. There were usually only two things on his mind – being Hokage and ramen.  


He closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, a faint smile skirting his lips.

###### 

TBC


	2. Ramen Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who commented and left kudos - it is honestly the best motivation! Slightly longer chapter as promised, hope you guys enjoy it xx

###  Chapter Two: Ramen Dreams 

 

A throbbing head headache and someone pounding on his door awoke Uzumaki Naruto the following morning.  


“Shit…”  


He stumbled out of bed only to discover he was naked, which was not in itself an unusual occurrence as he quite often slept in the nude. Slipping on some obnoxiously-coloured boxers, he opened the door.  


“Naruto! You shouldn’t open the door to a woman if you are only in your underwear! Have you no shame?”  


As if his headache couldn’t get any worse, his visitor whacked him one.  


“Good morning Sakura-chan. Why would I be ashamed of a body like this?” He winked, rubbing his hands up and down his tanned torso.  


“Ugh, stop it.” She said, looking away in mock disgust, but he smirked knowing she secretly enjoyed checking him out. “Late night I’m guessing? I’m assuming things got a bit wild after us girls left the party?”  


“Yeah, you could say that.” Naruto smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.  


“And you must be feeling down today too, what with Sasuke going away and all. It’s not that bad you know – he’ll be back soon enough.”  


Blue eyes blinked open and the mention of Sasuke’s name.  


“Wait, what? Where is the bastard going?”  


“Honestly Naruto, don’t you remember anything?” Sakura sighed, exasperatedly. “That’s why I’m here, I thought we could see him off.” She added, smiling brightly at the blonde’s bewildered expression.  


She had turned into a beautiful woman, there was no arguing that. Naruto still asked her on dates, but it was more a force of habit than anything else. He no longer had a crush on her, those feelings had long since dissipated and developed into something else – a more brother-sister type of relationship.  


Sakura on the other hand had not yet outgrown the crush of her own. She still had a soft spot for Sasuke. Of course, she went about showing her affection in more subtle ways now, but it was apparent to anyone who paid her any attention.  
“Right! Give me two minutes to get dressed!” Naruto flashed her a grin and disappeared back into his apartment. He was desperate for a shower, to get rid of the smell of alcohol that seemed to be stuck to his skin, but he had to see Sasuke if this would be the last time for 10 months.

 

*****

 

Sasuke had just walked through the gate of Konoha, and was just about to enter the forest when he heard the voice of the last person he hoped he would see.  


“SASUKEEE! Wait, Sasuke!”

_Oh god._

“Sasuke-kun!”

_Her too?_

Sasuke kept walking, feigning ignorance, trying to block out the horrendous screeching but unfortunately the pair caught up with him.  


“Oi! Don’t ignore us bastard!” A hand roughly grabbed at his shoulder and twisted him around.  


Sasuke jerked out of his hold and took a step away from the blonde. He was far too close, the feel of those hands touching other parts of his body still lingered in his mind.  


“Hi Sasuke, where were you last night? I didn’t see you at the party.” Sakura asked, trying and failing to act casual. The party she was referring to was in celebration of some of rookie nine being promoted to jounin, Naruto being one of them.  


“Yeah, I didn’t feel too good. Besides, I thought it would be unwise to attend a party when I have to spend the following day travelling.” Sasuke replied after a long pause.  


“Ah I see, and are you feeling better today? I could get you some medication if you need it.” Sakura offered, she always took care of her boys.  


“ _Sakuraaaa-channn!_ I need it I have the worst hangover today!”  


“Well maybe that will teach you to watch how much you drink.” Sasuke stated with a glare in Naruto’s direction. “Oh and thanks Sakura, but I’ll live.”  


“Bastard! It wasn’t my fault, I only had a couple of beers! Oh my god what if someone put something in my drink!? I’ve been date-raped!” he theorised, waving his hands dramatically.  


“Naruto! Don’t joke about such things!” A gloved fist thumped him on the back of his head. “Who the hell would want to rape you anyway?” Sakura went to hit the blonde again, but he dodged it.  


Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat, Naruto wasn’t far from the truth, he had slipped a mild aphrodisiac into his drink, just something to speed up the process. Afterwards Naruto had been willing to do almost anything, willing to fuck almost anything.  


“Sakura is right. Anyway, as thrilling as it is talking to you guys, I must be on my way if I’m to reach my destination before sundown.”  


“Where are ya off to anyways?”  


“That is none of your business.” Naruto clenched his fists at Sasuke’s dismissive reply. He hated it when Sasuke kept secrets from him. Though he couldn’t explain why it frustrated him so much.  


“Take care Sasuke-kun, and don’t forget to contact us every now and again.”  


“Yeah, I’m gonna miss you, you bastard.” Naruto then caught Sasuke off-guard with a bone-crushing hug.  


Sasuke suddenly found it hard to breathe, he could feel his windpipe constricting and heat rising to his cheeks. Scenes of the previous night flittered through his mind.  


“Get off me.”  


“Naruto! Don’t invade Sasuke-kun’s personal space!” And with that the pink-haired medic-nin yanked Naruto away by the collar of his jacket and Sasuke silently thanked her.  


Sasuke walked off into the distance, feeling a pair of blue-eyes burning holes into his back, the calls of farewell gradually faded, and he was alone once more. 

_And breathe._

 

###### 

It took Sasuke seven hours to reach his chosen destination. It wasn’t a shinobi village, so he removed his headband in order to appear like a normal citizen and to avoid any fuss/questions.  
The bungalow he rented was located towards the outskirts of the village, but all the shops and local amenities in the village centre were still within walking distance. 

In the morning he would go shopping for some essentials, he wasn’t in urgent need of anything other than a long rest. He felt strangely exhausted, he assumed it was just the pregnancy beginning to take its toll as he was constantly using chakra to keep up the modified version of the idiot’s ridiculous jutsu.  


After a quick look around his accommodation, making sure everything was in order he placed his ruck sack down by the futon on the floor. Sasuke stripped and got comfortable on the futon. Before he had time to worry about anything, he was asleep. 

 

*****

 

Sasuke awoke, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding within his ribcage. Remnants of a very strange dream entered his mind.

 

_“Come on Sasuke, push!” Naruto’s hand was squeezed tightly._

__

_“What the fuck do you think I’m doing you fucking idiot! Arghhh I’m going to fucking kill you Naruto!”_

__

_“That’s it Sasuke-kun. It’s crowning, just a few more pushes!” Came Sakura’s voice from between his legs, where she had no place at all being._

__

_“I can’t do it. I can’t push anymore.”_

__

_“Come on sweetheart, nearly there”_

__

_“Sweetheart…” Sasuke muttered in disbelief. “Call me that again and you’re going to be – Arghh!”_

__

_“You did it!” Sakura cried triumphantly._

__

_Sasuke waited for the sounds of crying, but they never came. “Is everything ok?”_

__

_“Yes of course!” Sakura grabbed a pink blanked from the side, “I’m delighted to say it’s a Miso!” She picked up the bundle and handed it to Naruto._

__

_It was a bowl of ramen. A bowl of fucking ramen._

__

_He waited for Naruto to ask what the fuck was going on and why there wasn’t a baby in sight, but instead he burst into tears._

__

_“This is the proudest moment of my life, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!” Naruto kissed Sasuke on the top of his head and cradled the bowl in his arms._

__

_Sasuke didn’t know what to be more disgusted about, the fact that Naruto and himself seemed to be an established couple or that he had just given birth to a bowl of ramen._

__

_The sound of wood snapping caught Sasuke’s attention. Naruto was armed with chopsticks. Sasuke put two and two together. “Naruto, what -”  
“Itadakimasu!” And with that he began devouring the baby, well the ramen…_

__

_“Wait you absolute moron! Stop eating my baby!”_

__

 

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, wishing he could just as easily wipe away the memories of his nightmare.  


 It must have been past dawn as the Sun’s rays were already filling his bedroom with a warm glow, filtering in through the slits of the blinds barring the large bay window. He stretched his arms above his head and arched his back, a habit that was part of his morning routine. Itachi had always said it reminded him of a cat waking from an afternoon nap.

_Itachi._

These days his thoughts often strayed to his older brother, he wondered what Itachi would have to say about ‘The Plan.’

For a long time Sasuke battled with his mixed-up feelings towards Itachi. He had been filled with nothing but hatred, and pain until he spoke those final words with a smile on his lips.

_“You never have to forgive me Sasuke.”_

__

_“No matter what happens to you from here on out.”_

__

__

_“I will always love you.”_

It was like the hand around his neck that had been slowly tightening over the years had at last loosened its grip. With Itachi gone, he was left with an overbearing sense of emptiness. He had felt completely and utterly alone. Well almost alone. If it wasn’t for that persistent, and ridiculously stubborn idiot. He had saved Sasuke in a multitude of ways, though the Uchiha would sooner die than admit that out loud.

The funny thing is that now, he will never be alone again.

After everything with Itachi went down, he had been against the idea of reviving his clan, bringing more cursed Uchiha into this world. However he needed something to fill this hole inside him and this was his chance to give the Uchiha clan a new beginning. With his child, he would not repeat the mistakes of the past. 

He stood from his futon and crossed the hall to the bathroom. His rented bungalow was of a modest size, comprising of a large living room and kitchen, with one bedroom and separate bathroom. The bathroom was very plain, all-white tiles and shiny porcelain.  


Sasuke opened the glass door of the shower cubicle and stepped inside. He turned the left knob all the way, taking care to avoid the spray of the water until he was certain it had warmed up.  


He lets the now tepid water cascade down his back, tilting his head to wet his hair. Sasuke’s mind wandered to the items on his agenda for today, the priority being getting any essentials he would be needing over the next few weeks. 

 

*****

 

The gentle breeze was most pleasant as he walked along the dirt path from his bungalow. There were no other buildings near his temporary residence. He was pretty much isolated here, which was of course completely intentionally. After walking several minutes, the dirt path eventually linked up to a windy road which took him past several houses and small apartment blocks. He knew he was getting closer to the centre of the village by the increasing amount of people he encountered. They all seemed friendly enough, they nodded their heads as they passed him, some even directing small smiles towards him, but their eyes watched him warily. He was quite obviously an outside, Uchiha tend to stand out everywhere they go due to their somewhat exotic features.  


He turned a corner and found himself on what he could only assume was the main high street that passed through the village centre. Sasuke quickly located the grocery store and picked up some necessary supplies.  


Next to the grocery store was a book shop, this was next on his list. Sasuke had a lot to research over the next 9 months, so he was in the process of purchasing several pregnancy books, all aimed at woman of course, which earnt him a raised eyebrow upon paying for his items.  


The cashier began placing his books in a brown paper bag. The woman was old, but her face was kind and her eyes still held a twinkle. “I sense congratulations are in order, how far along is your wife?”  


“They are just gifts for a friend, who might be pregnant.” Sasuke informed her, trying to convey his desire to avoid small talk at any costs.  


“Ah how wonderful. The miracle of life is the most amazing thing is it not?”  


Sasuke hummed in agreement, absentmindedly rubbing a hand over his stomach before he could realise and stop himself.  


“You are new around here” It wasn’t a question. “I would recognise a face like yours.” That twinkle in her eyes stronger than ever.  


“Yes I’m here on vacation.” As he reached for his money, the woman grabbed one of the books that lay top of a pile on the counter.  


“I see, well this is a nice place to relax. There is not much to do around here, but you must see the lake on the outskirts of the village. I want to give you this.” She said, placing the book from the pile into the bag. “Something to read when you are down by the lake, call it a welcome present.” She passed him the bag and he handed over the money.  


“That is unnecessary but I appreciate the gesture. Thank you, I will be sure to visit the lake.” Sasuke picked up his groceries with his free hand and left the store, the bell on the door ringing as he made his exit. 

 

*****

 

Once back in his bungalow he unpacked his groceries. Storing the canned goods away in the cupboards and all perishables in the small fridge-freezer. It wasn’t quite time for lunch so Sasuke decided it would a good time to start reading. His shoulders tensed as he picked the book gifted by the old lady.

The Tale Of The Gutsy Shinobi.

Could this be purely coincidence? He was fully aware of the author of this book and the name of the main protagonist in this novel. There was no way the woman could have known. No chance. Yet he couldn’t help but recall the way she smiled at him, as if she knew something he didn’t. He snorted and chucked the book dismissively onto the kitchen counter. In any case, he found the whole idea of reading fiction novels to be a waste of time. What could possibly be gained from reading something that wasn’t real?  


He tried to forget about it but it was although the book was calling his name and he was extending his arm to grab it before he even realised. He thumbed open the front cover and carried it over to the large grey sofa – one of the few pieces of furniture in his bungalow. Despite his better judgement he began reading and before he knew it, he was half-way through the book. It was almost amusing to note the similarities between the character in the novel and his namesake. With his thoughts on the blonde idiot, he felt a moment of loneliness, (very brief he assured himself).

What was that moron up to?

 

 

###### 

 

Naruto was exhausted, he had just got back from a six-week mission, just a simple recon kind of deal. What he needed right now was a nice big bowl of ramen. On his way to Ichiraku’s, contemplating which flavour he would choose first, he bumped into a familiar face.

“Kiba!”

“Yo Naruto, you’re back! Did the mission go well?”

“Yep, all good brother, where you heading? I’m getting some welcome-home ramen, wanna join me?”

“Sure!” 

They shortly arrived at the ramen stand and took their seats on the bar stools. Naruto greeted Teuchi and ordered his 4 bowls of ramen, while Kiba ordered one for himself. 

“Ne Naruto, I didn’t get a chance to ask you before you left for your mission, but who was that girl you left with at the Jounin party?”  


“Eh!? What on earth are you talking about Kiba?”  


“The hot chick. Dark hair, pale and one hell of a body.”  


Naruto swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. He had not forgotten about that night 6 weeks ago, but he had almost convinced himself that it was a dream. He remembered locking eyes with the mysterious girl at the bar where the celebrations were taking place, but the rest of the events that night were blurred to say the least.  


“I’m not sure, I don’t exactly remember.” Naruto scratched the back of his head.  


“Naruto I’m ashamed of you man, you should at least ask a girl her name before you fuck her.” The dog-lover cackled, enjoying watching Naruto squirm in his seat.  


“Shut it Kiba. You know I don’t do things like that. Normally…” He added quietly.  


“The weirdest thing is that when I first saw her all over you, I thought it was Sasuke for a moment. Now that would have been fucked up right?”  


“Sasuke? Umm yeah right.” Naruto hated how his voice came out shaky and nervous. “Well I haven’t seen her since that night, I think she said she was just passing through Konoha on her travels.”  


“It’s probably for the best. You should forget about her, she was way too hot for you!”  


“Cheers Kiba.”  


He really wanted to know what happened that night, and who that girl was. The mention of Sasuke reminded him he hadn’t heard from the bastard in over a month. He had a strange feeling that something bad had happened and he just couldn’t shake it. Although he could take care of himself, there were many people who still wanted to take out the last Uchiha.  


The first of his four bowls of ramen were placed on the counter and Naruto came to a decision.  


If Sasuke didn’t contact him within the next month, he would just have to check up on him.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three will be up tomorrow or Saturday!
> 
> Charlotte x


	3. Uninvited

###  Chapter Three: Uninvited 

If Sasuke didn’t know he was pregnant, he certainly did now, as he hurled into the toilet. Sasuke had anticipated it of course, but he really didn’t think he would get this acquainted with the piece of porcelain. He honestly had no idea why they called it morning sickness, because it wasn’t just the morning. The nausea struck at all times of the day. It should definitely be called ‘day sickness’ he though, or just ‘constant sickness’. 

It had been a few weeks now since he had taken the test. That moment changed his life. He couldn’t quite believe that he had pulled this off. It hadn’t quite sunk in – the fact that there was an embryo inside him. Right now. Growing away. 

He was almost three months gone now. 

Sasuke had been spending his days reading and relaxing. It had been the first time in years since he had this much time to himself. The lake which was five minutes from his bungalow had become his favourite spot. Sasuke was planning on heading down there later today in fact. 

The Uchiha was currently washing up plates, bowls and various other things left over from the breakfast he was unable to hold down, when there was a sudden knocking at the door. 

This unsettled him, as he was definitely not expecting any visitors. He was tempted to ignore it and hope it whoever it was would disappear, but the knocks persisted so he briskly walked towards the door.

It’s funny how everything can turn to shit in a matter of seconds.

“Thank god you’re here, I thought something had happened to you, bastard.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Sasuke snapped when he regained the ability to formulate sentences. 

It was just too much to ask for wasn’t it? For a Naruto-free ten months?

It obviously was, as the idiot was now right here in front of him, his expansive frame occupying most of his door way. He could feel Naruto’s eyes scanning him from head to toe, checking for any signs of injury. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably underneath the blonde’s gaze, paranoid that Naruto could somehow tell his secret just by looking at him. That was ridiculous, he told himself – Sasuke’s stomach was as flat as ever.

“I’m just checking up on you! I thought something-”

“Something had happened to me? I’m not a fucking infant. I want you to go.” He interjected, livid that Naruto of all people had managed to find him.

“Do you know how long it took me to find you? In a non-shinobi village of all places. It’s like you’re hiding out here or something. Aren’t you supposed to be training?”

Too many questions.

“I know! I know exactly what’s going on here! You’re on a mission right? A top secret mission!” Naruto exclaimed, thinking he had Sasuke all figured out, although he was right in a way. Sasuke was on a mission alright, and it was supposed to be top secret. The emphasis on ‘supposed to.’

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.” He winked as he barged past Sasuke and into his home. “Can I get a drink? This place is a long-ass way from Konoha and I could really do with some green tea right now.” 

The sheer audacity of this fool. First the wink. Then asking for a drink as if he was actually welcome here. 

“Actually yes, yes I do mind.” But it was too late, the blonde was already kicking of his sandals and half-way down the corridor. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, scrambling to find the most efficient way to get Naruto out.

Sasuke followed Naruto into the living room and watched as he flopped onto the sofa, clearly expecting the Uchiha to bring him the requested beverage. Sasuke went about making tea, hoping the faster he made the tea, the faster the moron would leave.

Naruto continued to babble on about things that had been happening in the village while he had been away. Sasuke placed two porcelain cups on the coffee table and began to pour the tea.

“Thank you Sasuke.” Naruto sat up to grab the cup, from where it had been placed next to a pile of books. “Hey what ya been reading?” 

Alarm bells were going off in Sasuke’s head. Naruto was incredibly dense, but even he would get suspicious if he read the title of that book.

“’First Time Mothers’? Sasuke. Why the hell are you reading a book like this?” Blonde eye brows furrowed in confusion. 

What to do, what to do…

“This ain’t yours, right? Is it for a mission? Wait, did you knock someone up? 

Even though Naruto had just given him three possible answers, Sasuke didn’t choose any of them. Why? He had no idea.

“I’m pregnant.” 

It even shocked Sasuke, saying those words aloud. 

The blonde stared blankly at him for a fraction of a second and while he didn’t expect Naruto to believe him, he didn’t expect him to start laughing hysterically either.  


“Ne Sasuke, you been out here in the middle of nowhere getting a sense of humour?” Naruto teased when he finally managed to regain his composure, still wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.  


“I’m serious Naruto.” His deadpan tone of voice and threatening expression told Naruto that he was indeed being serious.

“Are you fucking with me?”

“No.”

_'Though about eleven weeks ago I was…'_

“I don’t get it. How… Just how is that possible? You’re a guy right?” 

“Yes you fucking moron.” 

“Then just how?”

“It was quite easy really, I used your stupid sexy jutsu.”

“So you used my awesome jutsu and what? Some guy took advantage of you?

“Naruto, do you honestly think there is a single man on this Earth that could take advantage of me?

“No of course not. So what you are saying is that you planned to…”

“Fuck a guy? Yes. And now I’m pregnant, just like I planned. Can we finish this conversation now?”

“Can we finish… Sasuke!? Are you fucking kidding me? You can’t just drop this on me and expect me to be cool with it!”

“I don’t know why you’re getting so worked up, this doesn’t involve you in any way shape or form.” Sasuke insisted taking a long sip of his tea. 

“You’re such a bastard, you know that right?”

When Naruto got no reply he continued, “Sasuke, you’re my best friend, and this is huge. Of course this involves me. I just don’t get why you did this. I mean, why not find yourself a nice woman, get married and settle down like a normal person? And people say you’re a genius?” Naruto shook his head in disbelief. 

“Because I don’t need a woman, she would only get in the way. I want to do this by myself.”

“You know, Sakura would have offered in a heartbeat.” 

“That wouldn’t have been fair to her, it would only lead her on.”

“So you have no feelings for her?” Naruto asked with a strange expression on his face, Sasuke assumed it was because he anticipated Sasuke would say yes.

“Naruto, I have no ‘feelings’ towards anyone.” Sasuke informed him, very matter of fact and Naruto looked simultaneously pleased and hurt by the response. 

“But then who did you…y’know?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“The guy who knocked you up. Who was it?”

Sasuke knew that question was bound to come up, like a time bomb waiting to explode. “Just a random drunk guy.” He supplied.

“I don’t believe for one second that Uchiha Sasuke would screw just anyone. No you’re not telling me because it is someone we know, ain’t it?” His azure eyes lit up mischievously and Sasuke wondered when the blonde got so perceptive.

“No really it’s-”

“Hmmm I know, it’s Kakashi right? He’s a great shinobi plus he’s got the sharingan.”

“That’s sick. He’s too old, plus his sharingan has no chance of being passed on as it’s only an implant.”

“Shikamaru then? He is super smart, your baby would be a genius!”

Sasuke slammed his tea cup down on the table.

“Just drop it alright, I’m not telling you.”

Sasuke could see that Naruto wanted to push the matter further, but instead he picked up his cup and brought it to his lips. His expression was still strained, like the unanswered questions he was dying to asked were causing him physical pain. He kept drinking his tea, and slowly the tension in his shoulders began to ease up, though the atmosphere was still thick with it.  


“Fine. How about some more tea?”

*****

Naruto had well and truly outstayed his welcome. 

It was almost dinner time and the blonde had insisted Sasuke cook for him. Sasuke was good at most things, however cooking was not one of them. He peered down at the strange-coloured mixture in the pan. It was supposed to be a curry, but the consistency was all wrong and the floating lumps of vegetables and meat seemed unnatural. He just hoped Naruto was too hungry to care.  


He used a ladle to spoon the contents of the pan into two bowls along side some rice. Sasuke grimaced as the curry landed with a splat. He imagined serving this to Sakura, how she would praise his cooking just to spare his feelings. Girls like that would never say a bad word against him, always wanting to maintain that perfect image they held. 

He placed the bowls on the dining table, where Naruto was already sitting, waiting expectantly. 

“This looks like shit.”

Sasuke bristle at the bluntness of the comment. 

“Well make your own damn food moron and stop scrounging off of me.”

“Someone is sensitive, must be because I’ve finally found something you’re bad at.” Naruto grinned, relishing in ruffling Sasuke’s feathers.

“Just eat the fucking curry.”

“Oh so that is what it is?” 

Sasuke refrained from retorting, instead choosing to send a glare Naruto’s way.

The blonde picked up the spoon hesitantly. “Well, here goes nothing. Sasuke, if I die, I leave everything to you and also please note that I’m absolutely going to come back as a ghost and haunt your ass. Itadakimasu.”

Naruto shovelled a heaped spoon of curry into his mouth and paused.

“Hey, it’s not bad actually. Definitely tastes better than it looks.”

“So I guess you will have to keep on trying to find something I’m bad at then.” Sasuke commented smugly as he began to eat as well. 

“No way is this counting as a success. You should cook for me more often, practice makes perfect right?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

They continued to eat in comfortable silence. 

“So Sasuke, what’s up with your situation y’know, down there?”

The raven-haired boy stared blankly at him, mid-spoonful. 

“I mean, you obviously look just like normal you, but you’re pregnant so that means you have a vagina now right?”

“Naruto, you need to stop speaking now before I take this spoon and shove it so far down you throat that-”

“Hey I’m just curious!”

“If you must know, I have female internal reproductive organs, the rest of me is male. I modified your jutsu to better suit my needs.”

“Sexy no jutsu is a masterpiece, I am honestly disgusted at how you are misusing it.”

“A masterpiece? Naruto, Susanoo is a masterpiece. Your jutsu is just a perverted party trick and quite frankly it is disturbing that you were using it when you were no more than a child.”

“You take that back! Sexy no jutsu is pure genius!”

“Well I’m sure I could have thought of it myself, but I suppose I should give you some credit. Without your stupid jutsu I wouldn’t be sitting here 11 weeks pregnant.”

Sasuke knew as those words came out that they had been a mistake. Naruto’s shoulders became rigid, like someone had poured a bucket of ice cold water down his back. 

“11 weeks.”  


Sasuke could the cogs in Naruto’s head turning, putting the pieces together, then those blue eyes widened and Sasuke felt pinned underneath the intensity of their gaze.

“Yes and?”

“11 weeks ago. That night. The jounin party.” The blonde’s spoon clattered to the table.

“Naruto you’re not making any sense.” 

“I slept with someone that night. A woman from the bar.”

“What do you want, a medal?”

“Stop it. This ain’t funny bastard. I liked you better when you didn’t have a sense of humour. I’m the guy right? The guy you fucked?”

No response. Sasuke looked away, finally managing to break free from Naruto’s stare.

“Sasuke, please. Call me an idiot and tell me it’s not true”

This was a great time to say ‘April Fools’ (though it was the middle of June) and laugh awkwardly. 

“It’s true.”

Naruto immediately got up from the table and began pacing, running his fingers through his hair. 

“Fuck this.”

Sasuke watched as the blonde proceeded to leave, the door slamming shut behind him. He almost wanted to stop him and apologise, but he just let him go. He probably needed some time to think, after all it’s not every day that your best friend (who is a man) tells you he banged you in order to get pregnant and repopulat his clan. Perhaps Naruto wasn’t going to come back. But that was fine with him, right?

He had always intended to do this alone.

*****

Someone was knocking at the door.

Sasuke didn’t look at the clock but he guessed it was around 11pm. He wasn’t asleep. Just lying on his futon, feeling strangely restless. He was dressed in loose-fitting pjs, but the bungalow was quite chilly at night so wrapped a blanked round his shoulders and approached the front door.  


Naturally, he had a strong suspicion who it might be.  


His suspicions were confirmed as he pulled the door agar and was met by the sight of Naruto illuminated by the dim light hanging from the porch, hands stuffed in his pocket. 

“You came back.” Stating the obvious.

“No shit. You think I’d just leave you? I just needed some time to get my head around…this. Can I come in?”

Sasuke didn’t answer but left the door open and went to sit on the sofa. Naruto shut the door quietly behind him.

“I’ve decided that you’re not going to do this alone. As your friend, and more importantly as the father, I want to support you no matter what.” The blonde sat down next to him, wearing a deep frown on his face that didn’t suit him. 

“You don’t get it. I wanted to do this alone, you’re not involved-”

“How the fuck can you say that? You made me involved! Am I just a sperm donor to you?”

“Yes that’s exactly what you are.”

He could feel the anger radiating from Naruto next to him, the tension from earlier returning to his shoulders and his knuckles were white from where his hands were gripping at his thighs. 

“That.” Pointing at Sasuke’s stomach wildly, “Is my baby too. And whether you like it or not bastard, I am involved.”

Sasuke sighed, massaging his temples. “You’re giving me a head ache, I’m going to bed. See yourself out.”

“You prick, if you weren’t pregnant right now, I’d beat you to a pulp.” Naruto growled at Sasuke's retreating back.

“Even if I’m almost three months pregnant, I’d still win. Bye Naruto.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Good night Sasuke.” Naruto said adamantly, unzipping his hideous black and orange jacket. He tossed a couple of the larger cushions at one end and laid down, draping his jacket over himself like a blanket. 

Sasuke was too tired to argue, he would deal with this hinderance in the morning. 

It didn’t take long for Naruto to get to sleep. The thought of being a father and having his own family sent him into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

 

*****

The following morning, Sasuke was awoken by the smell of something delicious.

He got up and pulled his navy blue yakuta over his pjs, tying it loosely around his middle. 

He was not shocked to find Naruto was still here, although he was surprised to see him in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. 

“Good morning sunshine, I made us ramen – the breakfast of champions.” He grinned, seemingly pleased with himself.

“I don’t like ramen. Besides I will probably just throw it back up anyway.”

“But I got it especially.” Naruto pouted. “Just try, this baby is half mine remember? So I think the chances are that he’s gonna be quite partial to ramen.”

The rumble from his stomach forced him to sit down, shut up and eat something. So that’s what he did. The smell of pork wafted up his nose from the steaming bowl in front of him. With the chopsticks he lifted the noodles up to his mouth, fully expecting to be hit with a wave of nausea any second. Warmth immediately spread through him down to his stomach. Regrettably, Sasuke began to find that it tasted good, heavenly in fact. Though there was no way he would disclose this information to Naruto. 

“Hn. Doesn’t taste as bad as I remember.”

Naruto didn’t say anything, just nodded and smiled smugly before tucking into his own bowl. And Sasuke hated that.

“So what are our plans for today?”

“Well, you’re going back to Konoha, and I’m going to go shopping for food and do some more reading.”

“I thought we had sorted this, I’m staying with you until the end.”

“Naruto-”

“Look, it’s either that or I will go back and tell Tsuande what you’re up to. No doubt I will convince her to get a team of ANBU to drag your pretty ass back to Konoha where, me, Sakura and everyone else will be able to keep an eye on you.”

“Are you blackmailing me???” Sasuke asked incredulously. 

“Why yes I am. So what’s it gonna be Uchiha?” Naruto leaned back, arms crossed over his broad chest, a fox-like grin gracing his features.

Looks like Naruto was staying.

### 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up Sunday!  
> Btw this sort of follows canon, with some differences for example, Tsunade is still hokage and Sasuke has both his arms!


	4. Onigiri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone who commented and left kudos, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. <3  
> I kinda feel like this chapter is a bit boring, just our two favourite, emotionally-stunted idiots coming to grips with their feelings for each other!

###  Chapter Three: Onigiri 

The next week went by normally, with Sasuke ignoring Naruto and Naruto treating Sasuke like an invalid. 

Naruto spared a quick glance to the Uchiha seated across from him. He seemed to be deeply engrossed in the pregnancy book he was reading, resting his head on one hand, the other carding through the pages at a steady pace. There was a dark-coloured blanket draped over his shoulders, covering most of his frame. It was rare to see Sasuke without a blanket these days and Naruto doubted it was due to him being cold. The nights were sometimes chilly, but the days were always warm. Naruto suspected the Uchiha was doing his best to conceal any hint of a bump that might be growing underneath is baggy clothing. Naruto wondered how big Sasuke would get, his mind struggling to picture him with a 9-month pregnant belly, unable to see his toes, waddling as he walked. He suppressed a chuckle at that thought, not wanting to disturb Sasuke as he was certain Sasuke would not share his amusement. 

His musings were interrupted when Sasuke got up from his chair suddenly. “Where are you going?” 

“To urinate, sorry I didn’t realise I needed your permission.” Sasuke quipped testily, not bothering to mask his irritation. 

“Don’t be silly. Do you need any help?” Naruto also rose to his feet. 

“Help going to the toilet? No, Naruto, I’ve been able to use the toilet by myself since I was three years old.” Sasuke tightened the blanket round his shoulders and stormed off to the bathroom. 

Naruto sat back down and waited for a few minutes after hearing the toilet flush, his fingers tapping on his thighs nervously. These days he always felt anxious when Sasuke was out of his sight for an extended period of time. Ever since he first left the village, Naruto had felt this way on some level. The nights had been the worst, constantly wondering what Sasuke was doing, if he was ok or if that snake bastard was hurting him. Now those feelings were only more intense, it wasn’t just Sasuke he is worried about, but their baby too. 

Their baby. 

The sheer thought of that concept was still too much for his mind to process. If he was honest, he was still pissed that Sasuke had used him and then tried to do this whole thing without him. Sasuke sure was dumb, he should have known better than that. He hadn’t been able to cut their ties yet, even after everything they had been through, and it was too late to do so now. 

Sasuke was taking his sweet time, so Naruto jumped up from the sofa, his bare feet padding along the wooden flooring to the bathroom. The door was open and Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. He could feel his heart beat faster within his rib cage, worse case scenarios racing through his head. 

He rushed to Sasuke’s bedroom, the door was ajar and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Uchiha standing in front of the floor-length mirror. It was only then when he had calmed down that he focused more on what Sasuke was doing. His blanket was pooled around his ankles, and his hand was holding his t-shirt up under his armpits. Sasuke stood facing the mirror for a moment, before turning to the side, his free hand coming up to cup that tiny but very much present bump. It was barely there and could easily be mistaken as the aftermath of a big meal. 

There was no denying it now. Naruto found himself hypnotised as he watched Sasuke rub the slight bulge of his stomach in little circles. He wondered what was going through Sasuke’s head, his expression was indecipherable, even to someone as well-versed as Naruto in everything Sasuke-related. 

Suddenly dark-eyes locked onto blue, Sasuke sharply dropped his t-shirt and the moment was gone. 

Naruto cleared his throat and looked away, trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation. 

“Wow, looks like someone’s been eating too much ramen.” Naruto teased, trying to lighten the atmosphere which had become thick with tension. 

“Have you heard of a thing called privacy?” Sasuke snapped and Naruto thought for a second that he may have been embarrassed if the redness that tinged his cheeks was anything to go by, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. “And don’t you dare start implying that I’m fat, you know damn well I’m not. In fact, with this morning sickness I’m actually still losing weight.” 

Naruto was back to being concerned once again and now that Sasuke mentioned it, he did look rather on the thin side. His cheeks were not as full as they used to be, and he recalled earlier the hip bones that were more prominent than before. “Is there anything I can do? Maybe we should see a doctor.” 

“There is nothing you can do, which is why I keep saying you shouldn’t be here.” Sasuke picked up his blanket and wrapped it around himself once more as he walked towards the door. “According to the books, most women stop experiencing morning sickness after about 14 weeks.” 

“Yeah ‘most women’. Sasuke, what if something is wrong? This isn’t exactly a textbook pregnancy.” Naruto shot his hand out to block the doorway, Sasuke was always trying to avoid him, like if he tried hard enough, Naruto would just disappear. 

Sasuke halted in front of Naruto, looking nothing short of bored. “I would know if something was wrong.” 

“Won’t you at least consider it?” Blue eyes pleaded with him. 

“No.” Sasuke replied curtly and ducked under the blonde’s arm. 

Naruto slammed his hand against the door frame in frustration. Even after all these years, there was no one that could get under his skin like Sasuke could. He was so damn stubborn and unwilling to accept any help, insisting on doing everything by himself. Despite all that had happened between them during the war and after, he still considered himself alone. 

He was just going to have to prove Sasuke wrong. 

“Sasuke, I’m going out.” 

***** 

A voice was calling his name, rudely depriving him of sleep. 

“Sasuke.” 

“Sasuke.” The voice persisted. 

“Sasuke if you nap too much, you won’t be able to sleep later.” There was now poking, poking on his arm, and shaking, gently first then – 

“What Naruto!?” Sasuke’s eyes snapped open, his sharingan flaring. Honestly, he should know better than to wake a sleeping Uchiha. 

Naruto took a step back, fearing only slightly for his life. “Ah sorry Sasuke, I didn’t want to wake you, but it is past midday and I thought you might be hungry.” 

Sasuke turned over, pulling his sheets over his head and Naruto told himself that it wasn’t the slightest bit cute or god-forbid, adorable. “I don’t want ramen.” Came the muffled response from under the sheets. 

“Well that’s good, because it’s not ramen.” Naruto dared to reach forward and pull the covers down over Sasuke’s head. The Uchiha looked up at him sleepily and just a little bit intrigued. 

“What is it then?” Sasuke stretched with a yawn. 

“Come and see.” Naruto said cheerily as he left Sasuke to get up. 

Naruto hurried into the kitchen and began dishing up. “I made tomato soup!” He called out when he heard footsteps approaching. “Tomatoes are your favourite right?” 

Sasuke eyed the contents of the bowls. “Tomatoes are red.” 

Naruto laughed and carried the bowls over to their table. “Wow, you sure know a lot about your favourite vegetable. Or fruit? I can’t remember which.” 

“Then why is it yellow? Sasuke queried, arching a dark eyebrow. 

Naruto shrugged off any hint of criticism. “No idea, I just threw some spices and shit in it.” He took a seat opposite Sasuke. “Tuck in.” 

Sasuke picked up the spoon cautiously, bringing it closer to his mouth. It had a weird smell that he couldn’t quite pin. He looked over to Naruto, who was watching him eagerly in anticipation. “Go on, it won’t kill you.” 

Sasuke gave the blonde a look which said he seriously doubted that last statement, but nonetheless put the contents in his mouth – and immediately spat it back out. “Are you sure you’re not trying to kill me?!” He managed to get out in between the coughing and spluttering. 

“You bastard.” Naruto took his own spoon, assuming Sasuke was just being melodramatic. “It can’t be that – holy shit that is awful. Worse than Sakura’s soldier pills.” He got up from the table and filled a glass of water, quickly downing it to eliminate the horrid taste from his mouth. 

Naruto put the glass down and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. So much for trying to prove to Sasuke that he was needed here. 

“Well now we have established that neither of us can cook.” Sasuke said with a sigh and rested his hands in his lap. 

“I’m sorry, Sasuke. I was just trying…” Naruto finally built up the courage to meet his eyes, expecting to see something akin to ridicule or mockery, yet there was nothing but a strange softness that he couldn’t quite interpret. 

“I know Naruto, thank you.” Sasuke offered, and if Naruto wasn’t so attuned to the subtleties of Uchiha Sasuke, he would have missed the sincerity in his voice. “How about we go out and get something?” 

***** 

They stopped to get onigiri and sat on a bench, stuffing themselves full in a comfortable silence. They watched the villagers come and go, some of them sending odd looks in their general direction as they passed. Naruto assumed they made a strange pair, not quite fitting in with the local people. Naruto was still sporting his hitai and he gathered that this village must not get many shinobi passing through because they all looked at it curiously. He wondered what it must be like to live in a place like this, to raise a family in a place this. Did Sasuke intend to stay here permanently? Even after their baby was born? 

“Hey Sasuke, how long do you plan on staying here exactly?” Naruto knew it was a risk, asking Sasuke about any kind of future plans seemed to be a sensitive subject. 

“Until after my baby is born. I came here because I wanted to get away from you and from everyone.” Came the response and Naruto was surprised that he had even received one. 

“Why me?” Naruto knew he was pushing his luck. 

“Because Naruto, you have a tendency to-” 

“No, I mean why me? Why did you want me to be the father?” With that last sentence he felt Sasuke tense up next to him. 

Naruto braved looking at Sasuke and found him staring intently straight back at him. He never had been able to get those eyes out of his head. The feeling that they could see right into the depths of his very soul, something that used to scare him immensely, but now it only comforted him. Sasuke was free to read his mind, his every thought, to feel his every emotion. It was ok because it was Sasuke. 

Sasuke was first to break the stare. “I’m going home.” 

And Naruto didn’t stop him. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest as he gazed at Sasuke’s retreating back. As much as he felt like he needed to be near Sasuke all the time, it was also suffocating. To be allowed to be in Sasuke’s presence, but to be constantly kept a distance. 

It wasn’t enough anymore. 

***** 

Sasuke was deep in thought as he journeyed home. It was nice to be on his own, away from Naruto. For the past few days they had barely been apart for more than a few minutes and it was overwhelming. 

When Naruto had asked him that question. Why him. It had caught him off-guard. Being around Naruto always caught him off-guard. He had a way of getting through every wall he had carefully constructed over the years effortlessly. 

When he asked that question there was nothing Sasuke could say. Nothing he wanted to say anyway. The intensity of those eyes was unescapable, it made him feel like on fire and drowning at the same time. 

Stupid Naruto. 

Stupid, stupid Naruto. 

This was the whole reason why he had wanted to get away from him in the first place. Naruto made him feel things. Feelings he had been supressing for so long he had forgotten they were even there. In hindsight, he probably should have realised that it would have been impossible to keep Naruto out of this. 

Sasuke opened the door of the bungalow and stepped inside, making his way to the living room and curling up on the sofa. 

He supposed it was selfish of him to have used Naruto like he had and expect him to stay away, not when the blonde had been deprived of a family for so long. 

But Naruto could still have his family. One fit for the future Hokage. It was a well-known fact that the Hyuuga heiress was infatuated with the idiot. The darkness in his heart reminded him that this was Naruto’s destiny, not to have a bastard child with an ex-traitor of Konoha from a cursed clan. No, Naruto would marry that girl, he would become Hokage with her by his side and Sasuke would be left to watch from a distance. She would give him beautiful children and he would have everything he had hoped for. 

And Sasuke wished he could say he genuinely wanted that, for Naruto to have his happy-ever-after with her, but he would be lying to himself. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want Naruto to be happy, it was just that there was no one worthy of sharing that happiness with him. 

All of them were the same. They only acknowledged Naruto after he had saved Konoha and ended the war, before that they hadn’t given a shit about him. It was honestly pathetic. She was pathetic. 

Just like the hoards of girls that proclaimed their love for him, they were only in love with the idea of Uchiha Sasuke. They did not know the first real thing about him and Hinata knew nothing of Naruto, nothing that mattered anyway. 

But of course, Sasuke was not worthy either. He had, on multiple occasions tried to kill Naruto and sever their ties to no avail. He had told him time and time again that their bond meant nothing to him. It amazed him that Naruto even spoke to him after all this, let alone go to the extremes that he always went to. 

_What’s wrong with you?_

_Why the hell won’t you give up on me?_

Because you’re my friend. 

_Friend._

After everything, is that what it boils down to? 

Sasuke told himself he was fine with that, being Naruto’s friend.

Because that was more than he deserved. 

***** 

It was dusk, when Naruto arrived back at the bungalow, there was a stillness in the air that calmed him. He had spent the last few hours milling over the thoughts in his head, most of them revolving around Sasuke and the foetus residing in his belly. 

He wasn’t sure if Sasuke would be awake, so he opened and closed the door stealthily behind him. The Uchiha was napping more often than not these days, as a result of constantly exerting chakra to maintain his sexy no jutsu-induced womb. 

Sure enough, Sasuke was curled up on his side, one hand under his head, the other placed gently on his lower abdomen. Surprisingly without disturbing the Uchiha, Naruto managed to grab Sasuke’s blanket from the chair and cover him with it. 

He knelt next to the sofa, taking advantage of the opportunity to be this close to Sasuke without worrying about any consequences. He brushed the dark hair that had fallen over his closed eyes behind his ear, keeping his hand there for just a moment. 

_Sasuke, you still don’t get it…_

_There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you._

_You just gotta let me in._

######  TBC 


	5. Avocado

###  Chapter Five: Avocado 

Tuesday the 26th of March marked another milestone. Sasuke was now 4 months pregnant. He was still throwing up most days but there was a definite roundness to his belly that wasn’t there the previous week. 

“Hey Sasuke! The baby is now the size of an avocado! Can you believe it?” Naruto called to him from his position in the kitchen. 

The blonde jinchuuriki had taken it upon himself to wait on him hand and foot, which included preparing all the meals. After the tomato soup disaster, Naruto had taken great care to improve his culinary skills. Of course, there had been many disasters over the last month, including Naruto setting fire to the kitchen several times. 

Though Sasuke had to admit, he had managed to perfect the art of breakfast. Ramen was now reserved for special occasions, because even though it pained Naruto to say it, ramen offered little nutritional value to the developing foetus. Instead Naruto served him yoghurt and fresh fruit, pancakes and homemade granola. Naruto was trialling a new idea today – toast, eggs and avocado, in honour of their baby reaching avocado-status. 

“I mean look Sasuke.” Naruto called to get his attention once more. “Our baby is this big! Isn’t that just crazy?” 

Sasuke looked over to see Naruto holding up the avocado, eyes wide with wonder. 

“Yeah it sure is.” Sasuke said, returning his focus to the fresh orange juice Naruto had made him. 

Minutes later, a plate was placed in front of him and Sasuke muttered a word of thanks. Sitting on the plate were two slices of toasted brown bread, covered in a layer of mashed avocado with a couple of poached eggs sitting on top. It appeared to be seasoned with just salt and pepper – Naruto had learnt the hard way that when it comes to seasoning, more isn’t always best, after he got over excited with the paprika, putting it in everything that he made only to discover that it was definitely not needed in a smoothie. 

He watched Naruto devour his own plate before he started digging into his. It tasted delicious and it satisfied the hunger that he had woken up with. It wasn’t long before he had finished the whole thing and he looked over to see Naruto staring pointedly at his mouth. 

“Can I help you with something?” Sasuke asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. 

“Um you have something just here” He said scratching at the corner of his mouth, but Sasuke just stared blankly at him. 

“Here let me.” And before Sasuke could move away, Naruto was leaning over the table and gently brushing a spot just below his mouth. Naruto had a faraway look in his eyes and Sasuke froze as Naruto’s thumb passed over his bottom lip, once, twice and then a third time. 

Naruto appeared to snap out of whatever kind of trance he was in and jerked his hand away, just before Sasuke bolted out of his seat and disappeared out of the room. The sudden exit left Naruto taken aback and he cursed himself for letting his control slip. What the hell was he thinking? Touching Sasuke so familiarly. 

At the sound of Sasuke throwing up, Naruto rushed to his side, lingering in the doorway of the bathroom for a moment. 

“I hope that wasn’t caused by a, the breakfast I made or b, me touching you.” Naruto knew that was a risky statement, part of him was hoping that being in such a vulnerable state may work to his advantage. 

“No…Just morning sickness…” Came the weak reply as Sasuke lifted his head from the toilet bowl and Naruto felt his heart do this weird little jump. 

Another wave of nausea must have hit because Sasuke was doubling over once again, retching into the toilet. Naruto knelt by his side, one hand holding Sasuke’s hair back, the other rubbing his back in small circles. The first time he had comforted Sasuke like this, the raven had almost ripped his arm out of its socket but now he accepted it without complaint. Which spoke volumes as to how far the mighty Uchiha had fallen from grace, that he not only didn’t seem to care that Naruto was watching something so grossly personal as him throwing up but allowing this much physical contact. 

“Sasuke you’re four months gone now and this morning sickness still isn’t going away. Don’t you think we should see a doctor?” Naruto asked as neutrally as possible, handing Sasuke a few sheets of toilet paper. 

Sasuke took it with a grimace, looking particularly pale. Sasuke had always been pale, but now his skin had taken on a sickly, pallid glow. Naruto had honestly never seen his rival look as feeble as he did in this moment, which unsettled him. 

“No.” Sasuke said firmly. The worst must have passed because he sat back with a sigh. 

“I’m worried, you’re still so thin, how can you be certain the baby is ok?” Naruto got up to fetch Sasuke a glass of water – another part of their routine. 

“I just know ok?” Sasuke rose to his feet gracefully and went to the sink to brush his teeth. 

Once he had finished, Naruto offered Sasuke the water and as he took it, he gripped Sasuke’s shoulder – another bold move. Sasuke’s shoulders went rigid, and he looked like a snake ready to strike. 

“Listen to me you stubborn bastard, you need to stop thinking of yourself and do what’s best for our baby.” Naruto stared him down and something seemed to give because Sasuke’s eyes soften ever so slightly. 

“Fine, and who do you suggest is equipped to deal with this situation?” 

“Sakura, and let me explain before you start getting all bitchy.” Naruto took a step back in fear that Sasuke just might make good on a few threats of violence have been made over the last few weeks. 

“Bitchy?!” Sasuke spluttered indignantly. 

Naruto paid him no attention and proceeded to put forward his argument. “So first of all, other than Tsunade-baachan, Sakura is the most highly-skilled medic-nin in fire country. That in itself should be enough for you, but I shall continue. She cares for both of us, meaning she will go out of her way to ensure both you and our baby are healthy. And most importantly, we can trust her.” 

Some of Sasuke’s anger seemed to be diffused by Naruto’s well-reasoned points and he found that there wasn’t really anything he could say against the idea. 

“So contact her then.” He said quietly, clearly still weak from the several bouts of vomiting. 

“Already done.” Naruto preemptively took another step back which proved to be a wise move as Sasuke lunged at him. 

“You did what?! Without even consulting me first?” 

If Naruto was a lesser man, he might have started cowering at the rage-filled dark eyes that were now threatening bloodshed. 

“I didn’t _consult_ you because I knew you would be reasonable and agree that it was the best decision. It’s called being efficient, Sasuke. I thought you would appreciate that.” 

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, muttering something about stupid blondes under his breathe. “So when will she arrive?” 

“I sent a clone last night, she should be here around midday.” Naruto informed him, with all his usual cheeriness. 

Sasuke took a second to cool his expression and brushed past Naruto stating, “If you weren’t so good at making breakfast I would have kicked you out on your ass by now.” 

Naruto couldn’t hide his smile. This morning was definitely a win. 

***** 

Just after midday, there was a knocking, no hammering at the door, announcing Sakura’s arrival. Sasuke made no effort to move, not even bothering to look up from the book he was reading. Naruto took his lack of response as a signal that he was supposed to answer the door. 

He moved swiftly towards said door, not wanted to keep the pink-haired kunoichi waiting. Before the door was even fully open, Sakura was already yelling at him. 

“Naruto! What the hell is so urgent that you needed me here right away? Is there something wrong with Sasuke?” Her eyebrows were knitted in confusion, Naruto had not told her anything about his and Sasuke’s current predicament. How would he even go about telling her that he had unintentionally impregnated her childhood crush? Who is a man, yep that is still weird. 

“Sakura, please calm down.” He tried his best to placate her. “There is nothing wrong with Sasuke.” Well that wasn’t completely accurate, there were many things wrong with Sasuke, but nothing that Sakura could help with. 

“But your clone said Sasuke needed me here? Why are you both here exactly?” The anxious look on her face seemed to soften a bit upon realising Sasuke was not in immediate danger. 

“Ah well it is a long story Sakura-chan.” Naruto scratched the back of his neck and gestured for her to go inside. “Maybe it is better if I show you.” 

She took a deep breathe and smoothed down the non-existent wrinkles on her dress, obviously bracing herself for whatever was coming. Naruto led her into the living room where Sasuke was sitting exactly where he left him, having not moved a muscle. 

The Uchiha eventually looked up as Sakura moved in front of him, clearly checking for any abnormalities. Her green eyes traced his figure from head to toe, not seeing anything obviously wrong. 

“Sasuke-kun, it’s good to see you.” She gave him a small smile. 

“Hey! You didn’t say that to me!” Naruto pouted. 

“Because you dragged me out here for no apparent reason! Sasuke looks fine to me!” She snapped, and Naruto was surprised she hadn’t hit him yet. 

“Yes, it is all over nothing really.” Sasuke finally spoke, yet to acknowledge Sakura’s presence. 

“Nothing?!” Naruto squawked, outraged. “It’s hardly nothing you bastard!” 

Normally Sakura would have punched the blonde for insulting Sasuke, or at the very least scolded him, but was suddenly distracted as Sasuke closed his book with a sigh and rose to his feet. Her green eyes froze as she caught sight of something she didn’t see before when her crush was seated. 

Despite his loose-fitting t-shirt she could see an unmistakable roundness to his stomach. Sasuke had always been in the best physical condition, so the presence of what appeared to be a hint of a belly was most unusual. 

Did Naruto bring her here because Sasuke had gotten fat? 

“Sasuke I see you have some abnormal weight gain in the stomach area. Perhaps you are suffering from some kind of thyroid issue?” 

“Actually Sakura, I’m suffering from a kind of baby issue.” Sasuke informed her drily. 

“Jeez Sasuke, you could have eased her into a bit more?” Naruto looked nervously at Sakura, trying to gauge her reaction but she was giving nothing away. 

Minutes passed and she hadn’t moved an inch, completely frozen in time. “Dammit Sasuke, I think you’ve broken her.” 

Sasuke waved a couple of times in front of her face before turning on his heel and strutting off to the bathroom. 

Naruto stepped closer to her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder but she remained perfectly still. “Sakura are you ok? I know this is a lot to take in.” 

Finally, she blinked twice and turned her head to look up at Naruto. 

“This is a joke right?” She started laughing nervously, but when the blonde failed to join in, her laughter quickly died out. 

“No, this cannot possibly be true.” She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. 

Naruto squeezed her shoulder, feeling sorry for the girl. “I know it’s fucking crazy, but it is the truth.” 

Sasuke had since reemerged from the bathroom and returned to his seat. 

“So you’re telling me Sasuke is…” She looked back to Sasuke. 

“Pregnant. Yes I’m 16 weeks pregnant.” He said so casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world. 

“The bastard used my sexy jutsu to give himself women parts. Trust him not to do this the normal way. I told him there are hundreds of girls in Konoha who would give their left arm to be knocked up by this asshole.” Naruto chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood but failing miserably as he noted Sakura’s eyes take on a glassy look. 

“Naruto, please could you give Sasuke and I a moment?” She asked quietly, her head bowed. 

Naruto looked to Sasuke who nodded, silently giving his permission for blonde to leave. “Sure, I’ll be outside.” 

No sooner had the door shut, Sasuke received a sharp slap to his left cheek. He gingerly touched his cheek which was now warm to the touch. It didn’t really hurt but it left him shocked to say the least. “I don’t think you’re supposed to hurt pregnant men.” 

“That’s why I slapped you and didn’t punch you.” She was obviously holding herself back, he could tell from the way she was clenching her fists by her side. Now that the initial shock had worn off, her anger was clear. “You know Sasuke, I would have this for you. You could have trusted me with this.” Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. 

“But at what cost? You would have expected everything that goes with having a baby, marriage and a house with a white-picket fence.” Sasuke told her, with a patience that surprised him. 

“Is that so wrong?” Tears now running down her face. 

“It is not what I want Sakura.” He replied, hoping it didn’t sound as blunt as it did to his own ears. 

“Not ever?” She sniffled, still looking hopeful. 

“Not ever. Which is why I didn’t ask this of you. It wouldn’t be fair to you.” Sasuke walked away from her for a moment in order to fetch the pink-haired woman a few tissues. “I know it hurts now Sakura, but I was trying to spare your feelings by keeping this from you.” 

“I see.” She accepted the tissues and dabbed at her eyes. “So you are having this baby by yourself? You intend to raise this baby alone?” 

She must have caught the quick glance Sasuke directed towards the front door. “Oh my god. It’s his, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, but its not what you think.” Sasuke added quickly. 

“And what is it that I’m thinking?” 

“That there is something going on between Naruto and I, that we are going to be some kind of happy little family.” Sasuke crossed his arms, making his little bump look more prominent. 

“I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort. I assumed you asked Naruto if he could donate his sperm as a favour.” Sakura tried to mask her surprise at the sight of a faint blush appearing on Sasuke’s cheeks. 

“Something like that…” Sasuke found that he could no longer meet her eyes. 

“Don’t tell me you guys actually…” 

“Hey, can I come in now?” Naruto called out from, obviously feeling like he had been forgotten about. 

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, glad that Naruto had inadvertently prevented a very embarrassing conversation from going any further. 

Naruto joined the other two in the living room, and if he noticed Sakura’s red-rimmed eyes he didn’t say anything. “Did Sasuke tell you about the morning sickness?” 

“Uh no, are you still experiencing morning sickness Sasuke?” Sakura stuffed her tissue in her pocket and cleared her throat. “Is it often?” 

“Pretty much most days.” Sasuke admitted reluctantly. 

“He’s still losing weight, apart from his little belly” Naruto said, attempting to poke said little belly, but Sasuke swiftly batted his hand away. 

“I see, then I better examine you. Please lie down on the sofa, Sasuke.” 

Sasuke did as he was told and didn’t have to wait long before he felt the warmth of Sakura’s chakra. A green glow emitted from her steady hands and focused around Sasuke’s lower abdomen. Naruto looked on apprehensively. 

“Is everything ok?” Sasuke asked after a moment of silence, he too was concerned but he managed to conceal it well. 

“Yes, everything is fine, more than fine in fact. The heart beat is very strong, though I would expect nothing less from the offspring of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.” She stated and out of the corner the eye she noticed Naruto’s chest swell with what must be pride. 

“Well at this stage there is not much more I can do. You need to make sure you are getting more fluids. Also, foods and drinks containing ginger are supposed to help combat morning sickness. Are you taking any prenatal vitamins?” She asked as Sasuke move to sit up. 

He shook his head and got up to get himself a glass of water before returning to stand next to the other two. 

“In that case, I will send you some to you. You should take one a day for the duration of your pregnancy, and with any luck you might even be able to carry this baby to term and deliver it safely.” 

“What do you mean ‘might’?” Naruto all but shouted, subconsciously moving closer to Sasuke so that their shoulders were almost touching. 

“With all due respect, how many men do you know that have successfully given birth? None. That’s because men in general don’t go around popping out babies.” She told them sternly. “Men are not designed to carry babies. Sasuke, your body already seems to be struggling to cope with the pregnancy, and it is not going to get any easier.” She continued. 

“But if anyone can do it, it’s Sasuke right?” Naruto beamed, looking the father/mother of his child. 

Sasuke felt an odd fluttering sensation in his chest. Of course, there was every possibility that the baby would not make it, there was a chance that he could die too, but Naruto believed in him. 

Naruto would be there for him, and maybe Sakura too if he played his cards right. 

“Sakura, I know it is a lot to ask, but I was wondering if you would be my doctor?” Sasuke’s dark eyes flickered to look at their female companion. 

She looked surprised at the request, but her expression quickly shifted to one of joy. “I would be honoured.” 

***** 

Sakura stayed for tea before leaving the couple to return to Konoha, with a promise of sending those prenatal vitamins as soon as possible. As she closed the door of the bungalow behind her, she felt lighter than she had in years. 

The sting of rejected had been painful. The fact that not only had Sasuke not even considered trusting her, but he had intended on keeping it a secret too. However, she probably wasn’t as upset as she thought she would be. If she was honest with herself, she might admit that her childhood crush was little more than a force of habit these days. 

There was no way now that Sasuke would ever be hers, and he never had been. She had been naïve and foolish to think that Sasuke would ever return those feelings she once thought she had. 

And now she was free. Free to find someone who appreciated her. For although she believed Sasuke cared for her, there had only ever been one person who had been allowed to get through his heavily-guarded walls. There was only one person that ever held his full attention in anything that could possibly resemble a romantic interest 

_Naruto._

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be out Friday at the latest.  
> I have most of the chapters planned out now, but I wanted to know if you guys have any preferences on the number of babies and also the gender?  
> Once again, thank you for your continued support, every kudos/comment/bookmark keeps me going <3


	6. Down By The Lake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly in shock that this now has over 100 kudos, thank you to each and every one of you. Hope you enjoy this one, and I should get the next chapter done within the next couple of days. Have a great weekend everyone.
> 
>  
> 
> Charlotte x

###  Chapter Three: Down By The Lake 

Sakura’s visit had left them with a lot to digest. The possibility that something could happen to could happen to the baby still lingering at the back of their minds. Though they dealt with it the only way they knew how – ignore the issue and carry on as normal. 

A few days later, they received a package. Sakura had sent the vitamins she promised, along with an official looking scroll which turned out to be from the Hokage. 

Sasuke watched Naruto from where he was standing in the kitchen making tea. The blonde pulled the scroll close to his face as he read it, his eyes squinting in concentration. Sasuke had always insisted Naruto was borderline illiterate, this only proved it. 

After a few minutes, Naruto huffed and flopped down on the sofa. “The old hag wants me to return back to Konoha.” 

“Well that shouldn’t come as a surprise really. You have been gone well over a month now. I mean what did you even say before you left?” Sasuke said, pouring himself a cup of camomile tea. 

“I didn’t need to say anything, I just used the power of my charms and she let me go.” Naruto grinned smugly. 

Sasuke scoffed. “What charms?” 

“I don’t know but they seemed to work on you.” The blonde’s grin widened further. 

“They most certainly do not work on me.” Sasuke insisted, refusing to acknowledge that the other had any kind of enamouring effect on him. 

“I’m still here aren’t I?” Naruto countered confidently. 

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Not for long, you need to go back.” 

The grin fell instantly from his face. “But I don’t want to.” 

“I know.” Sasuke said with surprising sincerity, walking over to the other to hand him a cup of tea. 

“I really, really don’t want to.” Naruto looked up at him sadly, like the thought of being apart from Sasuke was causing him physical pain. 

“Look at it this way, the sooner you go the sooner you can come back.” Sasuke pointed out succinctly and Naruto’s expression seemed to brighten slightly. 

“Yeah, I suppose when you put it like that it doesn’t sound so bad.” Naruto nodded thoughtfully and accepted the tea from Sasuke’s outstretched hand. 

“Does it say when she is expecting you?” Sasuke sat down next to Naruto and continued to sip his tea. 

“She says I’m to leave immediately. Which means I have at least another day.” The blonde grinned mischievously. “So Sasuke, we should make the most of my last day.” 

“I guess so. How about we go to the lake? It’s been a while since I went there.” Sasuke had yet to take Naruto there, partly wanting to keep that place purely for himself. The instant blinding grin that he received almost made him regret not suggesting it sooner. 

“Sure! Let’s go!” 

***** 

The lake was a short walk from the bungalow and it was a glorious day to be outside. Naruto had fallen into step beside Sasuke, their fingers brushing sporadically, something which the pair of them were quite happy to ignore. 

It was early afternoon and the Sun was shining down on them with some intensity. Sasuke was dressed in a plain, navy t-shirt which was a couple a size too big in order to conceal the gentle rise of his stomach and white shorts, reminiscent of the ones he used to wear in his youth. 

Sasuke led his companion to his favourite place and was pleased to find that the place was completely deserted. The lake was fairly small, surrounded by grassy banks and littered with small flowers. He found a nice spot, close to the water’s edge and sat down, tilting his head up to bask in the Sun’s radiance. 

Naruto didn’t hesitate to sit down next to him, leaning back on his forearms and stretching his legs out. They sat together for like that in a peaceful silence for a few moments before Sasuke moved to lay back on the grass, his eyes on the clouds and hands resting just above his ripening belly. 

“I haven’t thanked you.” Sasuke said, not taking his eyes off the sky. 

“Thanked me? What for?” Naruto almost sounded startled. 

“For looking after me I guess.” Sasuke replied casually. “Well looking after us really.” One hand drifted down to his little bump absentmindedly. 

Naruto was quiet for a moment, so Sasuke turned his head to look at him. He looked a bit taken aback and the raven had no idea why. As far as he was concerned the idiot should be ecstatic, its not every day Uchiha go around thanking people. In fact, it was a pretty rare occurrence. 

He watched Naruto begin to play with the blades of grass between his fingers, plucking from the ground and tearing them into smaller pieces. “Sasuke, you don’t need to thank me.” There was an unusual cheerlessness in his voice that made Sasuke fight the overwhelming urge to reach over and touch him. 

“I do. I know I’m not the easiest person to deal with and now I’m…like this, I’m probably even worse, which I’m attributing to hormones by the way. So, I just wanted to say thank you. I owe it to you.” 

“No Sasuke it should be me who is thanking you. You’ve given me something I’ve never had, a family.” He paused looking over to Sasuke. “So you see, you don’t owe me anything. I’m completely indebted to you.” He added softly. 

Sasuke found himself lost in those ocean eyes, drowning in their openness and honesty and he had to tear his gaze away for fear he might do something stupid. 

“You will be an amazing father you know.” Sasuke blurted out before he could reign in his rogue emotions. 

“Tch, will I? I wouldn’t be so sure. I mean, I’ve never really had a dad so I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m immature, irresponsible, reckless.” Naruto said with a solemn sigh. 

“True you are all of the above. Don’t forget messy, loud and you have an atrocious dress sense.” Sasuke told him flatly, though there was no hint of malice in his voice. 

“Way to kick a guy when he’s down.” Naruto pouted. 

“But you’re also kind and loyal to fault. Not to mention you are the second strongest shinobi currently in existence.” 

“You being the first?” 

“Naturally.” Sasuke replied with his usual smirk in place, which earnt a breathy chuckle from the blonde. 

“Jokes aside Naruto, you don’t have to worry about being a good father. I know you will be. When you care for something, you will do anything to protect it, that’s one of the reasons I chose you.” 

“Chose me?” That seemed to pique Naruto’s interested. 

“Yes, for a while I considered other potential-” 

“So I wasn’t your first choice!? You bastard!” The blonde glared at him, incensed. 

“Yes you were, but I had to make sure you were the best candidate.” Sasuke reasoned. 

“So what made me the best candidate exactly?” Naruto asked innocently, trying to not make it obvious he was fishing for compliments. 

“Of course, I had to think about genetics and making sure my baby has the best chance of survival. Your chakra and stamina are greater than my own, and I guess you could say you’re a skilled shinobi, what with you saving the world and all. And you’re not exactly deprived in the looks department.” Sasuke explained logically. 

“So what you’re saying is, you think I’m hot?” The idiot waggled his eyebrows and grinned. 

Sasuke resisted the urge to face palm. “Were you not listening to anything I said?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Lots of chakra, blah blah. But the real reason you chose me is because you wanted to jump my bones!” 

“You moron, that is not what I said at all. I just meant that you’re not hideous to look at. I don’t want an ugly baby after all.” 

“I’m not hideous to look at? You know that is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Naruto said, batting his eyelashes at him, acting like a swooning fan girl. 

“It was hardly meant as a compliment!” The Uchiha hissed. 

“It totally was. It was Sasuke-speak for ‘you are amazingly hot and we will make beautiful babies.’” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes, patience dwindling. “Thank goodness I have enough brains for the both of us, otherwise this baby would be doomed.” 

“I’m just going to pretend you didn’t just insult my intelligence, because right now, I wanna go for a swim.” Naruto jumped to his feet in a sudden burst of energy. 

“What are you doing?” Sasuke stared in horror, (he told himself that it was indeed in horror and not at all excitement) as the kyuubi-boy stripped down to his black boxers and charged forward into the water until it was up to his knees. 

“Come on!” He yelled before he ducked under the water, head first. When he emerged, he waded towards the shallow area, so the water was lapping at the top of his underwear and shouted to the raven once more. “Join me! It’s fun!” 

Sasuke averted his eyes, trying desperately not to look at the aesthetically pleasing sight before him, how the water droplets caressed the tanned skin of his broad chest before sliding down those well-defined abs. The blue crystal necklace he still wore catching the Sun. Muscles rippled as he reached up to push the wet, golden strands out of his eyes. When did the idiot become such an Adonis? 

“Hn. Yeah and it looks cold too.” 

“You scared Uchiha?” Naruto teased, loving the glare he received. 

“Not scared Uzumaki.” He said, since they were using last names now. “Just don’t want to get pneumonia.” 

“It ain’t even cold bastard.” Naruto gave him a mischievous grin. 

The next thing Sasuke knew the blonde was out of the water and in dangerously close proximity. He would later blame his stupid pregnancy hormones on his delayed reaction times. Naruto leaned down to grab his hands and pull him to his feet, then proceeded to bend down and scoop him up like he was a damn blushing bride. Naruto carried him to the water and didn’t drop him, despite Sasuke’s flailing limbs and the litany of colourful curses coming from the outraged Uchiha. 

Once Naruto was waist-deep, he abruptly deposited his rival/best friend/mother of his child into the lake, laughing as he did so. Sasuke’s body made a satisfying splash as he hit the water and went under. 

Sasuke emerged moments later, spluttering. “That was a dick move! I’m going to kill you for this.” 

“You’ll have to catch me first.” Naruto replied, splashing Sasuke before diving into the water. 

_Where did he go?_

The water was quite deep, but he could still stand up on his tip-toes. He scanned the lake for any signs of movement, almost tempted to activate his sharingan. 

Sensing the blonde’s chakra, he spun around but there was nothing. “Naru-wahhhh!” He made a most un-Uchiha like noise, as a hand wrapped around his ankle, submerging him under the water again. Sasuke caught a blurry glimpse of muscular thighs where Naruto’s boxers were riding up, and then they were gone. 

When Sasuke returned to the surface, Naruto was already back on the grass. 

“You goddamn idiot, if I get sick it will be all your fault.” He warned, wading out of the water, completely drenched. 

“Ah I’m sorry Sasuke.” He said without any hint of remorse. 

Sasuke was pretty sure he looked like a drowned rat. He felt his hair, stuck flat against his skin and his clothes, soaked through, dripping on the grass. His t-shirt was now skin-tight, highlighting his rounded stomach and he wrapped his arms around himself feeling slightly self-conscious. 

Naruto, however looked every inch a model, eyes closed, lying on the grass, hands crossed under his head. Sasuke was found himself unable to formulate a response, instead transfixed by the way Naruto’s skin glistened in the Sun. 

Naruto cracked open one eye and seemed to take pity on the sodden Uchiha. “Wear my jacket.” He offered. 

“There is no way I’m wearing that heinous excuse for clothing.” Sasuke glared at the pile of orange attire piled on the grass. 

“What about my t-shirt then? Is that emo enough for you?” 

It was black at least, one of the Uchiha-approved colours. “…Fine. And I’m not emo.” 

“Sasuke my dear, you are the epitome of emo. Especially when you had that whole avenge thing going on. I know the chicks go crazy for it but personally, I’m not that into it.” Naruto rose to his feet, grabbing his t-shirt and tossing it to Sasuke. 

Sasuke caught it with ease. “Shut up Naruto. And turn around, I need to change.” 

“Aw you getting all shy on me?” The handsome blonde winked. 

If Sasuke didn’t know any better he might think that Naruto was flirting with him. 

Sasuke quickly regained his composure. “I’m not shy, but you are a pervert.” 

“Excuse me?” Naruto cried, scandalised. 

“You heard, now turn around.” 

Naruto grumbled but turned around anyway. “I take it you don’t want to wear my trousers?” 

“I point blank refuse to wear any item of clothing that is orange in colour. Also, you will get some weird looks if you walk back in nothing but your jacket and underwear.” Sasuke commented, taking off his wet t-shirt and pulling the black one over his head. 

The first thing he noticed was the smell, the smell of Naruto he realised. It was all too familiar, vaguely reminding him of warm summer evenings with a hint of something else he couldn’t pinpoint. The shirt was too big on him in several places, mainly the arms but also the hem came to mid-thigh length on him. 

It pained him to admit that Naruto had outgrown him after he went through one final growth spurt following his 18th birthday. A couple of years later and the blonde was now at least 5 inches taller than him. He had also come to terms with the fact that while he was always going to be slim built with lean muscle, Naruto was thick with muscle. He could see why so many girls back in Konoha were now fawning over their beloved hero. 

“Are you decent?” Naruto’s voice interrupted his musings and he realised the blonde was already dressed in his remaining clothes. 

“Yeah, let’s go home. I’m hungry.” 

“Ramen?” 

“Ramen.” 

***** 

After consuming large quantities of ramen – Naruto was determined to fatten Sasuke up before he left, the parents-to-be were sitting on the sofa. Sasuke trying to read, the key word being ‘trying’ – it’s hard to do anything productive with Naruto sitting next to you. 

“Sasuke, I’m bored. Talk to me.” He whined with the petulance of a small child. 

“What could we possibly talk about that is more interesting than this book?” Sasuke asked him indifferently. 

Naruto brought a finger to his lips, looking like he was contemplating something serious. “Hmm who do you think Sakura will take an interest in now that she is over you?” 

“Really? You want to gossip about our friends? It is of no interest to me who Sakura wishes to date.” The fact that Naruto had assumed Sakura was suddenly ready to move on from him only slightly wounding his pride. 

“I think she will finally take Lee up on his offer.” Naruto continued, ignoring Sasuke’s lack of apparent interest. 

Sasuke took a moment to consider the two. “What a strange pairing.” 

“Yeah, can you imagine the babies?” Naruto barked out a laugh. 

“Poor kids.” 

“Pink, bushy eyebrows.” 

Sasuke was too relaxed to stop the chuckle that escaped his lips at the visual image of their offspring. 

“Hey, did I just make you laugh?” Naruto’s wide eyes were on him, looking like he had just been handed the moon. 

“Yeah well don’t get used to it.” Sasuke said clearing his throat. 

“I could get used to it though. I want to make you laugh every day.” 

There he goes again. Stupid Naruto saying things like that so carelessly. 

Sasuke shifted on the sofa, finally closing his book, accepting the fact that no more reading was going to be done. 

“Sasuke, do you ever wonder what our baby is gonna look like?” Naruto asked, gaze fixed on Sasuke’s rounded stomach. 

“Of course, and if it’s going to be a boy or girl.” Sasuke admitted, it was something he often thought about. 

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hmm I don’t mind as long as they are healthy.” 

Sasuke nodded in agreement. “What about names?” 

“Well I always thought if I had a son I’d like to name him Minato. Y’know after my dad.” The blonde scratched the back of his head, a nervous tick. 

“I like it.” 

“You would let me name him?” Naruto blinked, mouth agape. 

“Sure, it is our baby after all.” Sasuke told him, trying to sound indifferent. 

“Our baby…” 

“Yes idiot.” Sasuke growled, not like the look Naruto was directed towards him. 

“It’s just that you’ve never said that before. Always my baby or the baby…” He tore his gaze away from the raven and looked down at his lap. 

“I hadn’t really noticed.” Which was true, the switch from ‘my baby’ to ‘our baby’ was entirely unintentional. 

“Sasuke, I’m tired.” He yawned. “But you know I’m so excited. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

Sasuke glanced to his right and saw Naruto was now curled up on his side, his eyelids fluttering shut. “Even though you can be a bastard, you must care about me a lot, right? Because you chose me.” 

Sasuke was trying to string together some kind of intelligent reply to the absurd accusation when he heard a light snoring. He succeeded in getting up without waking Naruto, which wasn’t exactly hard, he was such a heavy sleeper that even if Sasuke had made a chidori right there and then, he would be none the wiser. 

He was also beginning to feel wear, probably thanks to the extraneous activities at the lake. 

It then occurred to Sasuke that the blonde had been sleeping on the sofa all this time without a proper pillow or blanket. Feeling slightly guilty, he retrieved his precious dark blue blanket that he had been all but living in for the past few months and covered the sleeping man. He noticed Naruto’s face didn’t look quite so stupid when he was asleep. Instead of that shit eating grin, there was just a slight frown. 

Sasuke’s dark eyes focused on his parted lips, he remembered how those lips felt, and he had the strangest urge to kiss them. 

Naruto was sound asleep, he would never know. 

And this was out of pure curiosity and nothing else. 

Sasuke’s face hovered above Naruto’s, daring himself to go closer, to do it. He felt his heart rate increase as their noses touched. Their lips brushed, it was over in a slit second, but it was enough to give him a fluttering feeling in his chest. 

What was this? He refused to think about it any further so he went to bed. 

Stupid Naruto. 

***** 

Naruto stretched on the sofa. It was still dark, so he guessed he had another few hours of sleep left. 

He then took note of the blanket covering him and a warm smile crept across his face. 

Thinking of his dark-haired friend reminded him of his weird dream, starring the last Uchiha. He couldn’t recall much of it, other than the ending which sent a rush of adrenaline racing through his body. 

_Sasuke kissed me._

TBC


	7. Denial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew sorry this one took a while to write/edit, it is longer than the other chapters though! Hope you guys enjoy it and the next one will be up hopefully before the end of the week.
> 
> Btw, stuff in italic = conversations in Naruto's head.

###  Chapter Seven: Denial 

“Let me get this straight.” 

“Ok.” 

“You’re telling me that for the past two months you haven’t been on a secret scouting mission.” 

“Nope.” 

“You’ve been with Uchiha Sasuke.” 

“That’s correct.” 

“Who is pregnant.” 

“Affirmative.” 

“With your baby.” 

“Yessir.” 

“And you intend to raise this child together.” 

“Yep. That just about covers everything. Now is there something else you wanted? Because I kinda need to get back because of my thing…” 

“Something else I wanted…” The fifth repeated before suddenly slamming her fists on her desk. “You brat! Have you no respect for your Hokage?! You can’t just go off gallivanting with your knocked up Uchiha. Were you just going to stay away for the entire 9 months?!” 

“Well yeah actually – hey!” It was only thanks to Naruto’s impressive reflexes that he was able to dodge the sake cup which Tsunade sent flying across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into tiny pieces and Naruto swallowed, as the hazel eyes on him narrowed dangerously. 

It might have knocked some sense into that thick skull of yours. Did you not think for one second to fill me in on this situation?” Tsunade poured herself another cup of sake and downed it hastily. 

“You see, we are only telling people on a of need-to-know basis.” Naruto explained, trying not to disintegrate under Tsunade’s glare. 

“I am your goddamn Hokage Naruto, I think that automatically means I need to know if you and Sasuke start having man-babies.” She told Naruto adamantly. 

“Baa-chan I don’t get why you’re so mad, you should be happy for us.” Naruto pouted. 

She sighed, rubbing at her temples in order to fend off the migraine she could feel coming on. “Because first of all, you run off with Sasuke, under the pretence you are going on an intelligence gathering mission-” 

“Technically I didn’t run off with him, I ran off _looking_ for him.” Naruto pointed out valiantly. 

“Secondly,” She continued loudly. “You failed to return to Konoha and inform me that the Uchiha is somehow _with child_ the moment you found out. Now here you stand before me, showing no remorse whatsoever.” 

“I guess I got caught up in everything, I had to look after Sasuke, he was really sick for a while.” Naruto told her as anguish filled his eyes. 

The Hokage’s face softened, she never was able to stay made at the boy for long. “God, this is such a mess. I mean, how did this even happen? Did the two of you just do this on a whim, or was this crazy idea planned?” 

“Ah well it was Sasuke’s crazy idea, and I was an unknowing participant.” He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. 

“That is fucked up, are you even sure you want a baby Naruto? Do you have any idea how much work they are? You are barely an adult yourself.” She reasoned. Although Naruto had matured a great deal in the years following the war, he was only just out of his teens. 

“At first, I was scared and unsure, but once I got over the shock, I realised something. For the first time in my life I will have a real family of my own, even if it is a dysfunctional one, and I want that more than anything – even being Hokage.” He said resolutely. 

“I didn’t realise it was that important to you.” Tsunade recognised that steely look in Naruto’s eyes. It was the same look that forced her to reconsider her cynicism all those years ago. It was the same look that reminded her so much of her younger brother. 

“Neither did I until recently. But I guess looking after Sasuke has given me a new perspective. He was so sick, then Sakura came and-” 

“Wait, Sakura knew about this?!” She interrupted, incensed that her former student had awareness of this situation. 

“Yeah but I made her swear not to tell anyone else so don’t blame her. She made some vitamin pills for Sasuke and he seems to be doing a little better, but you see that is why I have to go back.” 

Tsunade got up from her chair and walked over Naruto, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Naruto this may sound harsh, but you shouldn’t get your hopes up. The chances of Sasuke having a straight forward pregnancy are low and chance of him having a healthy baby are lower still.” 

“No, I can’t think like that.” He said, shaking his head. “Sasuke and the baby will be fine, we will both make sure of that.” 

“The fact that he is in a village half a day’s journey from here is absurd. He should be in Konoha, where he will have access to far superior medical care.” She reasoned, knowing that if anyone could get the Uchiha through this, it would be herself and Sakura. 

“I did suggest that to him, but he is under the impression that if he were to come back, he would be treated like a zoo animal, or worse that people who are still against the Uchiha clan will take the baby away.” Naruto said, glancing down at his feet. 

“Tell him if he wants to maximise the chances of this baby being born alive, he will do it. You will have my word that your child will be protected.” She squeezed his shoulder. 

“You really mean that?” Naruto looked at her, eyes bright. 

“Of course, brat. However, I cannot let the fact that you have been avoiding your mission duties for so long slide, I have a class A mission already lined up for you. You are to escort the daimyo visiting from the hidden village of Frost back safely, then you may go and get your Uchiha.” She told him, crossing her arms over her ample chest. 

“But baachan that will take me a month at least.” He whined, knowing the village of Frost would take several days to travel to the village of Frost alone, but travelling with a daimyo would take much longer. 

“Yes, and you should be grateful it isn’t any longer.” She added sternly. 

“Fine, who is on my team?” Naruto inquired, hoping he would be teamed up with people he liked. 

“Hinata and Kiba. You are to depart at dawn.” The fifth informed him as she handed Naruto a scroll from her desk which detailed the specifics of the mission. 

Naruto accepted the scroll and brought his hand up to his forehead, giving Tsunade a salute before leaving her office. He was determined to finish the mission as soon as humanly possible in order to get back to Sasuke quickly. His chest tightened at the thought of being apart from Sasuke and their baby for a month. 

What if something was to happen while he was gone? 

Sasuke was still experiencing morning sickness, although Sakura’s pills seemed to have helped him keep his food down to prevent him loosing more weight. He would have to ask Sakura to visit Sasuke and check up on him. 

He could send a clone, but he imagined that the Uchiha wouldn’t appreciate that. 

_‘I don’t need an inferior version of your moronic self to babysit me.’_ And then his clone would meet a violent end. 

The imagined scene left a smile on his face as he exited the Hokage building via an open window, choosing to get to his apartment via the rooftops. 

These days he preferred to travel this way, avoiding the crowds of people in the street who would often stop to talk to him, hug him, ask him to bless their child or marry their daughter. Honestly, it was tiring. It was funny that for most of his childhood, he wanted that recognition more than anything else. Now he had it, it hardly seemed important at all, especially with Sasuke and their baby. 

Before he knew it, he was at his apartment. He opened the door, which was always unlocked – he had nothing worth stealing anyway and stepped inside. 

To say the place was a mess was an understatement. There was a mixture of dirty and questionably clean clothes scattered all over, there were kunai and shuriken dotted everywhere, the table was piled with scrolls and unread ninjutsu books and then there was the kitchen. 

The kitchen was just as he left it, bowls and plates left in the sink, caked in old food, towers of empty ramen cups and a carton of milk on the counter which had been there god knows how long. 

Sasuke would be beyond horrified at the state of his apartment. 

This is certainly no place to raise a baby. 

Feeling suddenly energised, he got to work. 

****** 

When Naruto approached the gates of Konoha at the break of dawn he could already make out the figures of Kiba, leaning against a post, hands shoved in his pockets and Hinata who was petting Akamaru. 

“Yo Naruto!” Kiba called to him, followed by a bark from his dog companion. 

“Hey Kiba, Hinata! It’s been a while.” Naruto greeted them. 

“Hi Naruto-kun, how have you been?” Hinata said, a light blush already tinging her cheeks. 

“I heard you were on some kind of top-secret mission!” Kiba asked him, clearly wanting to know more details. 

Naruto scratched the back of his head, he couldn’t tell them what he had been up to, and he didn’t want to either. He wanted to keep Sasuke and the baby just for him. “Ah yeah, I can’t tell you anything about it, but trust me it was very dangerous.” 

“Wow Naruto-kun, your bravery still amazes me.” Hinata looked at him, eyes wide in wonder and he felt bad that he was being dishonest, but it couldn’t be helped. 

Any further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the daimyo from the village of Frost. As expected, he was an elderly man. Probably in his 60s, he was tall and thin and very wrinkled around the eyes. His skin looked clearly weathered, most probably by the harsh icy winds that were common in the village of Frost. 

The three Konoha shinobi greeted him and introduced themselves respectfully, he was paying them after all. 

“Alright everyone, lets move out!” Naruto said, eager to get started. 

“You seem to be in a rush Naruto-kun?” Hinata asked tentatively. 

“Yeah I need to get back to Sasuke, and the uh secret mission.” He added quickly, trying not to sound too suspicious. 

“Oh, that asshole is with you? Must be tough teaming up with a guy like that again.” Kiba said grimly, Akamaru barked in agreement. 

“No actually, Sasuke and I work well together. When we fight side by side, we don’t even need to speak to each other, he just gets me like he can read my mind.” Naruto told him defensively. 

“Jeez Naruto, sounds like you’re in love the guy!” Kiba laughed and gave him a firm shove. 

“Shut it dog-breath! All I’m saying is that being with Sasuke is not as bad as you’re making it seem. He has a lot of good qualities.” The blonde replied, returning the shove albeit a bit harder this time. 

“Excuse me, are you talking about Uchiha Sasuke?” The daimyo interrupted their banter. “The last I heard he was imprisoned.” 

Naruto’s shoulders stiffened and he clenched his fists by his side. “Uchiha Sasuke is a hero, why the hell would he still be in prison?” He tried to keep his tone calm and neutral despite the rage that was building inside him. 

“He is also a rogue-nin who abandoned his village in favour of training with an S-class criminal in order to kill his brother – who was also a mass murderer might I add! If you ask me, he should be locked up or disposed of.” The daimyo stated haughtily, holding his head up high. 

Naruto didn’t realise his nails were cutting half-moon shapes into his palms until he felt drops of blood run down his hands and splatter onto the ground below. 

Oblivious to Naruto’s anger, he continued. “I mean, he has betrayed Konoha once, it is only a matter of time before he does it again. The Uchiha clan is cursed, god forbid he has any offspring of his own. The Uchiha line should die with him.” 

The old Naruto from a few years ago would have lost control and done something stupid. Now Naruto was more mature, and just a little bit wiser. If he was to lash out and harm the daimyo of another village, not even Tsunade would be able to save him. And how would he be there for Sasuke and the baby if he was in prison? No, he had to stay calm for the sake of his family. 

He took a deep breath and tried to cool the burning lava coursing through his veins. “I will say this just once, do not talk about Uchiha Sasuke that way in my presence. Without him, the whole world would still be under genjutsu, he saved you all.” 

The daimyo opened his mouth as if he wanted to voice a reply, but he must have decided against it because he pursed his lips and said no more. Perhaps it was the steely look Naruto was directing towards him or the dark aura he was projecting. 

“We should get moving then, Naruto-kun?” Hinata reached out to gently touch Naruto’s shoulder and some of the stiffness left his body. 

“Right, let’s go.” 

***** 

“So Sasuke, how has your morning sickness been this week?” Sakura asked him in between sips of tea. Upon Naruto’s request, she had visited him weekly to check up on him. He had found it bothersome at first, but he had come to look forward to the visits, if only to take his mind off Naruto for a while. 

“Much better, I have hardly thrown up at all thanks to your pills and all this ginger tea I’ve been drinking.” He told her, grateful for Sakura’s assistance. 

“I could tell, you’re definitely not losing weight anymore.” Sakura said, jade eyes travelling over the prominent curve of her former teammate’s belly. 

“Are you trying to say I’m getting fat?” Sasuke arched a dark eye brow 

“What no! I mean you’re just…rounding out.” She added carefully, trying to avoid insulting the clearly sensitive Uchiha. 

“Rounding out!?” Sasuke said, scandalised. “That is just a polite way of saying fat.” 

“Not at all Sasuke, besides it is a very good thing. If you want to carry that baby to term you need the extra weight.” She gave him a warm smile. 

“I suppose you’re right. Besides, it’s not like I care about my appearance anymore.” He said in a tone reminiscent to defeat. 

“Oh please Sasuke, you’re still the hottest guy in existence, even if you’re knocked up and chubby. And you can stop glaring at me. That lost the desired effect as soon as you got that cute baby bump.” Sakura said cheerfully. Now she had time to process the fact that her former crush was pregnant, she was warming to the idea. 

“Don’t even think about touching it.” Sasuke sighed, disappointed that he had apparently lost his scare factor. 

“I wouldn’t dare, I don’t have a death wish. I’ll leave the belly-petting to your baby daddy.” She took a long sip of her tea. 

“My baby…” Sasuke couldn’t even finish repeating it. “That is not what he is, he is merely a contributor of DNA. And he most certainly does not pet my belly.” 

“Sure, whatever you say.” She said, wearing an all-knowing smug look. “You know I heard from Tsuande-sama that Naruto and his team should be back in Konoha sometime next week.” 

“Oh really?” Sasuke tried to sound as neutral as possible. 

“Yup. He’s been gone a while huh? I wonder how Hinata has been coping, spending all that time with Naruto.” She replied, choosing not to mention the sudden interest at the mention of Naruto’s name. 

“She is on his team?” Sasuke blurted out, not sounding casual at all. 

“Yeah, I thought I told you? She was so excited when she found out Naruto was on the team, she said that she is finally going to ask him.” She explained. 

Sasuke tightened his grip on his tea cup, “Ask him what exactly?” 

“Ask him out, of course.” Sakura said with a shrug. 

“I see, and you think Naruto will say yes? You think he likes her?” Sasuke had a feeling he wasn’t coming across as nonchalant as he intended. 

“Well nothing has really happened since she confessed her feelings for him, but you know what Naruto is like. Talk about oblivious. So, she has been building up the courage to ask him on a date. Will Naruto say yes? Your guess is as good as mine.” The pink-haired medic-nin conceded. 

“Do you think they make a good match?” He asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer or not. 

Sakura paused to think for a moment. “Sure, she is sweet and kind. She has loved Naruto for a long time-” 

“You can’t call that one-sided infatuation love.” Sasuke interjected. 

“You seem to be taking quite an interest in Naruto’s love life, Sasuke-kun.” She suggested feigning innocence. 

“Interest is not the right word. I am merely concerned, seeing as whatever that stupid idiot does impacts me now.” He retorted. 

“Right, right. And you of course, have no feelings about Naruto dating Hinata?” Clearly Sakura was not buying it. 

“Of course. As if I would care about something like that. I just don’t think she is worthy of his affections.” Sasuke said, rubbing his stomach. 

“And who is if not her? Hinata is like Konoha’s unofficial princess. She will be a good wife and mother to his...” She must have caught a flicker of emotion cross Sasuke’s eyes because she suddenly added. “Sorry Sasuke, I mean…Well actually I don’t know what I mean, I don’t even know what I’m apologising for.” 

“It’s unnecessary. The moron can do whatever he wants, I’m not his keeper.” Sasuke said flatly. 

“No, you are just the mother of his unborn child.” She gave him a gentle smile. 

“That doesn’t change anything.” He muttered. 

“But it does, Sasuke. It changes everything.” She shook her head at the stubborn Uchiha. 

“How does it? You’re right, Hinata will be a perfect wife for the future Hokage. He will marry her and she will give him loads of white-eyed little babies.” Sasuke hated how bitter he sounded, but he could no longer hide it. 

“And you think he will just forget about you and your baby?” She asked disbelievingly. 

“Won’t he?” Rubbing his stomach again, which had become something of a nervous habit as of late. 

“That doesn’t sound like Naruto at all. If you think he would just abandon you and your kid, maybe you don’t know him at all.” She said sternly. Honestly, if Sasuke thought Naruto, the ninja known for never giving up, would do that, he was deluded. 

“I know him far better than she does.” He replied shortly. 

“I agree. Plus, your baby will be way cuter.” Her smile returned, as if she was picturing little Uzumaki-Uchiha babies running around. 

“Well that goes without saying.” The corners of his mouth tilted just slightly which only made Sakura’s smile bigger. 

They were silent for a minute as they finished their tea. Sakura placed her empty cup on the table. “I must get going Sasuke.” 

“Thank you for visiting, even though you really don’t have to keep coming.” He reminded her, though he knew there was no convincing her otherwise. 

“No, it is my pleasure, I look forward to our weekly chats.” She said as she walked to the door. 

Sasuke got up from his chair, something which was taking more and more effort these days, and followed the pink-haired woman. 

She paused as she opened the door. “And for the record Sasuke, if you’re ever ready to be honest with yourself about your feelings for Naruto, I will be here to talk.” Sakura turned on her heel and without looking back, leaving Sasuke doing a very good impression of a goldfish. 

He stood at the door for a good few minutes, mouth opening and closing but no words were coming out. Sakura’s figure had long since faded into the distance when he finally regained some form of composure. 

That woman was clearly insane. 

Feelings for Naruto? 

As if. 

***** 

How Naruto had made it through the escort mission without committing an act of violence on the frost daimyo was beyond him. It took every inch of self-control to hold his emotions in check. It turned out the comments about Sasuke were just the start, throughout the entire journey the asshole spewed rubbish about ‘useless’ female shinobi, against ‘uncultured’ people from other nations and also how ‘disgusting’ gay men are. 

_‘You could make it look like an accident’ Kurama suggested from the depths of his sub-conscious._

_‘Kurama! You’ve been quiet for a while.’ Naruto would never admit it, but he had missed the giant furball and his commentary on his life._

_‘Yeah I’ve been resting. I see you’ve been busy, knocking up the Uchiha brat and all.’ Naruto could practically hear the grin on his face._

_Naruto flushed bright red. ‘You make it sound…seedy.’_

_‘Wasn’t it a drunken hook-up? I seem to remember you enjoyed it a lot. I did too, who knew the Uchiha would be so feisty? Mmm delicious.’ The fox cackled at Naruto’s apparent discomfort._

_‘Ah shut it you big furry pervert! I think I liked it better when you were all radio-silent!’ Naruto shouted over the sound of the Kyuubi’s laughter._

_‘Anyway, as I said, you should kill this bastard – I’m sure he won’t be missed.’_

_‘He is a daimyo of another village. Trust me, I want to rip the old guy to shreds but I need to get back to Sasuke as soon as possible.’_

_‘Yes, you do need to get back to your mate.’_

_‘My mate?’ Naruto spluttered. ‘Sasuke is not my mate!’_

_‘You keep telling yourself that.’ Kurama yawned dramatically. ‘I’m going back to sleep, wake me when something interesting happens, like killing that daimyo, or going back to the Uchiha and bending him over-’_

_Naruto squawked, ‘Argh stop! I don’t want to imagine that you stupid fox! Go away!’_

_The Kyuubi curled up, a smirk on his lips and shut his eyes._

“Naruto-kun, do you have a minute?” Naruto blinked, realising that he must have spaced out while talking to Kuruma after the mission debrief. 

The money felt nice and heavy in Naruto’s pocket, though he knew that after his intended purchases, his funds would be drained. Just a few errands to run and then back to Sasuke. 

“Well Hinata-chan actually I’m in a bit of a rush.” 

“Oh, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to go out for some ramen?” Her cheeks were bright red, and she kept her gazed fixed on the ground. 

Naruto’s eyes brightened instantly as the mention of his favourite food. “Sure, I’d love to. We can invite some of the old rookie 9 gang and hang out together.” 

“No actually I meant just the two of us. On a date.” She added to further clarify. 

Naruto felt the pit of his stomach drop. 

He of course had an inkling Hinata still had feelings for him, even though nothing had happened since her confession on the battle field, but he never thought she would do something about it. 

Naruto was aware that there was a pressure on the two of them to be together, but the thought of marrying her didn’t sit right though he couldn’t pinpoint why. He supposed he should give her a chance, after all, she loved him. “Ok, when I get back?” 

For a second Naruto thought the Hyuuga heiress might pass out, but she simply made a squeaking noise and left him standing there. As he continued on his way out of the Hokage tower, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had done something wrong. His thoughts, as usual going back to Sasuke. Would Sasuke be angry that he agreed to go on a date with Hinata? He had no right to be of course, he didn’t need Sasuke’s permission to date anyone. 

He shook his head, realising his thoughts were ridiculous. If Sasuke would react angrily, that would mean he actually gave a fuck about who Naruto dated. 

Why on earth would Sasuke care about that? 

***** 

When Naruto arrived at the bungalow late afternoon, he was immediately alarmed to find a distinct lack of Sasuke. He somehow managed to calm his sleep-addled brain into thinking rationally. After completing the few errands he had to do, he had come straight here without resting first, now the lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him. 

His mind raced with all the possibilities Sasuke could be. First, he thought of the town, maybe he was shopping. Though Sasuke usually shopped early in the day to avoid crowds. He could be getting food, though Sasuke rarely eats out by himself, only when Naruto persuades him to do so. 

Then it hit him. 

The lake. 

His legs moved as quick as possible, despite his growing weariness. 

The area was deserted as before, save for one person. 

Sasuke. 

In the water. 

Topless. 

Naruto almost felt like he was intruding on something intimate, watching Sasuke float peacefully on his back. His porcelain skin was glowing in the sunlight and Naruto could not miss his bump protruding from the water. It was much bigger than before he left, he noted. Sasuke was now over 5 months pregnant, he wondered what other things he had missed. 

He didn’t want to disturb the tranquillity of this moment, but also he wanted to speak to Sasuke. 

“Hey fatso!” 

Sasuke had obviously let his guard down, and at the sound of Naruto yelling he jerked in the water, splashing for a moment before turning around to glare at Naruto. 

“You idiot, you can’t go around sneaking up on people.” Sasuke scolded him from where he was standing, the water coming up to his armpits. 

“Seems to me that you’re getting a bit rusty Sasuke.” The blonde teased. 

“I will show you rusty Naruto. I could still beat you with one hand, don’t underestimate me.” Sasuke said, his glare intensified, but just like Sakura, Naruto seemed to be immune to it. 

“Big talk, why don’t you get out of the water and put your money where your mouth is?” Naruto challenged, knowing that there was no way he would fight with Sasuke now, given his current status. 

“I…need my shirt.” Sasuke said eying his pile of neatly folded clothes on the grassy bank next to a fluffy towel. 

“Come out and get it asshole.” 

Sasuke didn’t move. 

“Fine I’ll cover my eyes, you giant prude.” He put his hand up to cover his eyes and he soon heard water sloshing indicating Sasuke must be wading out of the lake. 

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself, he peeked through a gap in his fingers. Naruto swallowed at the sight of Sasuke, his belly looking far bigger now he was standing up than it did when he was in the lake. It was so round, and his skin looked so smooth and Naruto was fighting the urge to go up to him and touch it. And rub his face on it, and kiss it and… He needed to stop right there. 

“I know you are looking you massive pervert, I can see your eyes through your fingers and your mouth is wide open like an idiot.” 

Busted. 

“Ok you caught me. I’m sorry Sasuke, I don’t wanna be creepy, I just really wanted to see how big you’ve gotten.” Lowering his hand from his eyes now his cover was blown. 

“Don’t you start, Sakura has already been calling me fat.” Sasuke said, bending over to pick up his towel and beginning to pat himself dry. 

Naruto took a good look at Sasuke. While he was no longer worryingly thin, he was still very slim other than his swollen middle. He definitely looked a lot healthier than the last time Naruto saw him, there was a slight fullness to his cheeks and hips that wasn’t there before, and he had this glow about him now. 

“Sasuke you’re not fat at all, you’re just pregnant. Really pregnant now, I mean just look at that – ow!” 

“Don’t pet me! I’m putting my t-shirt on so you can stop staring.” Sasuke snapped, pulling his navy t-shirt over his head. 

Naruto pouted. “Always spoiling my fun.” 

“Speaking of fun, did you have a good time on your mission?” Sasuke asked casually as they started walking back. 

Naruto made a face. “It was the worst Sasuke, that guy was a complete dick. The stuff he said…I can’t even repeat it because it makes me so mad. Thank god I had Kiba and Hinata there to keep me sane.” 

Sasuke bristled at the mention of Hinata’s name. “I see.” 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing.” Sasuke said dismissively. 

“That is such a lie. You know I’m going to find out eventually, so we might as well cut to the chase.” 

“Did she ask you?” 

“Did who ask me what?” Naruto replied, scratching his head. 

“Hinata. Did she ask you?” He said through gritted teeth. 

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” 

“You are so infuriatingly dense. Sakura told me Hinata was going to ask you out on a …date.” The last word felt like poison in his mouth. 

“Oh that. Yeah she did.” He shrugged. 

Sasuke stopped, feeling his chest tighten painfully. “And what did you tell her?” 

“It was kind of awkward, I didn’t really know what to say, so I said yes.” The blonde said casually. 

“I see.” Sasuke continued to walk ahead briskly and Naruto sped up to catch up with him. 

“Is that a problem for you?” He asked his former rival, confused by his reaction. 

“No, why would it be?” Sasuke replied shortly. 

“I don’t know…” 

They continued walking in silence when Sasuke stopped again, suddenly. 

“I don’t want you to date her.” He said before he could stop himself. 

“Why? It’s like you’re jealous or something.” Naruto laughed at the prospect. 

“I am. And not because I want you to date me, but because I don’t want you to date anyone. Ok? I know that it’s ridiculous and terrible to think this, but I want you to be at my constant beck and call, 24 hours a day. I’m not even sorry about it, that is just the way I feel.” Sasuke exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted. 

“Ok.” 

“What?” Sasuke stared up at Naruto as if he was crazy. 

“I won’t date her. I’ll be here. With you. All the time.” He told the Uchiha, resolutely. 

“Really? But I’m being so unreasonable.” Sasuke murmured, rubbing at his belly, a sight which warmed Naruto’s heart. 

“True, but you’re allowed to be unreasonable. You’re having our baby.” 

Sasuke gave him an odd look, there was a slight smile on his lips but his eyes looked strangely glassy. Was Sasuke about to cry!? 

The raven must have realised why Naruto was staring because he hurriedly wiped at his eyes and started walking again, muttering something about ‘stupid blondes’ and ‘stupid hormones’. 

“Hey Sasuke, there is one thing we need to talk about.” Naruto said as he jogged up to Sasuke’s side. 

“I’m not going back to Konoha.” It was like Sasuke could read his mind. 

“But Tsunade is really worried that-” 

“She knows?!” Sasuke wanted to shake the moron. 

“Bastard, I had to tell her. She was asking too many questions and one thing lead to another…” 

“So you told her?” 

“Yes I told her, and she is convinced that something is going to go wrong. She said that the chances of the baby being born are really low.” Naruto told him, his tone both serious and concerned. 

“That’s bullshit.” Sasuke shook his head and placed one hand over his belly protectively. 

“You have to admit, even with all our best intentions, it might not be enough. In Konoha, Tsunade and Sakura will be on hand in case something happens.” He pointed out, hoping Sasuke would see the logic in what he was saying. 

“I’m not going back to Konoha just to be treated like even more of a freak than I am already. Not to mention, there are sure to be people just waiting for me to be vulnerable so they can take me out. I dread to think what they would do to the baby if they ever…” 

“There is no way I’m going to allow that to happen Sasuke. Tsunade has given her word that you will be protected. But if that’s not enough for you, just know that I would give my life for you and our baby. Sasuke, I would destroy anyone that tried to hurt you.” 

Something about the conviction in Naruto eyes must have gotten through to Sasuke because he gave a defeated sigh. 

“Fine. When do we leave?” 

***** 

The pair had swiftly packed up any belongs at the bungalow the next morning. Sasuke left the key behind and a note to the landlord. He secretly was sad to leave; the place had been a peaceful sanctuary to him, and he had some fond memories here. 

He could only imagine how awful it was going to be back in Konoha. All the stares, the questions. But this was something he had to do for the sake of the baby. 

“You look tired Sasuke.” Naruto mused from his side. 

“I am. Thank god we have another three hours of walking left.” Sasuke said sarcastically. Sasuke wasn’t too stubborn to admit that this journey was proving to be more challenging that he anticipated. Although he was accustomed to walking distances, this additional weight was making things difficult to say the least. 

“My offer is still there.” The blonde suggested cheerfully. 

“Naruto, the day I let you carry me is the day hell freezes over.” 

“Then let me do this.” Without leaving room for Sasuke to say no, he grabbed his hand and held it firmly. 

Sasuke looked like he was ready to punch the blonde until he felt the warmth of Naruto’s chakra wash over him. He pursed his lips, but didn’t pull his hand away, ignoring the stupid grin that was plastered on Naruto’s face. 

The hand-holding lasted all of 20 minutes, before Sasuke started to complain about Naruto’s sweaty palms. He wrenched his hand away, and they walked in silence for the next two hours. They continued without stopping as it was getting dark, and the roads were often dangerous at night, though there wasn’t much the two of them couldn’t handle, it was better not to take any risks. 

“So Sasuke, how do you feel about staying with me at my place?” Naruto asked him, voice hopeful. 

“Not great, but I don’t exactly have a choice do I? Even if I choose to live somewhere else you will hunt me down.” Sasuke said, his eyes starting to feel heavy. 

“Exactly, I’m glad you see things my way.” He smiled, looking forward to show Sasuke his new and improved apartment. He then looked over to Sasuke and felt his heartrate increase. “Hey Sasuke, you don’t look so good…” 

Sasuke’s movements became slowed, and he was overcome with dizziness, he felt his knees go weak and his vision turn black. But he never hit the floor as a pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around him, steadying with such firmness there was no way he could have slipped from his hold. 

Once Sasuke was secure in his arms, he moved at full speed to Konoha. 

He blinked hard at the tears that stung at his eyes and pushed aside the sharp pain burning in his chest. 

_Please be ok. Please._

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notice the bit with Sasuke asking Naruto not to date anyone? I admit I stole those lines from friends, I just thought that part was cute XD


	8. Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated sooner than I intended because I felt bad for leaving you guys with a cliffhanger! <3
> 
> More notes at the end!

###  Chapter Three: Heartbeat 

Sasuke’s eyes darted open and he gasped, staring at the ceiling and trying to catch his breath. The whole thing lasted for a few seconds until he felt someone touch his skin. “Relax, Sasuke. You’re ok.” 

His eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room and he could now make out Naruto’s concerned blue eyes staring down at him. He tried to piece together the fragments of his memory leading up to this point. He was in bed. Naruto’s bed? They had been travelling back to Konoha. Everything had gone dark. His hands suddenly shot down to his stomach. “The baby-” 

“Is completely fine,” Naruto told him calmly as he perched on the edge of the bed. “I had Sakura come and check on you both. You were just dehydrated and over exhausted.” 

Sasuke took a deep breath and stroked his belly, finding that it helped to slow his racing heartbeat. 

“You really need to rest, so goodnight. There is water next to the bed, drink it before you sleep.” Naruto instructed him, his voice soft. “And I’m sorry, Sasuke. I pushed you too hard and I nearly lost you both...” 

Sasuke saw the flash of emotions cross Naruto’s eyes – guilt, pain, loneliness, but it was immediately replaced with a weak smile. “Night, Sasuke.” 

Naruto proceeded to get up from the bed and Sasuke’s hand reached out before he could stop himself. Naruto looked down, stunned by the pale fingers loosely gripping his wrist. 

“Stay.” Sasuke didn’t look at him nor did he utter another word and Naruto didn’t question him. 

Sasuke loosened his hold on Naruto and curled up on his side, pulling the blankets further around himself. He heard the sound of Naruto unzipping his jacket and trousers and then he felt the mattress dip under the blonde’s weight behind him. 

Naruto was emotionally and physically drained, but he still felt his heart speed up a little at being in such close proximity to Sasuke. He turned away from Sasuke, because he knew that if he was facing Sasuke’s back, he wouldn’t be able to resist slipping an arm around his waist and pulling him close. 

Naruto was anxious that after the dramatic turn of events, he would have trouble sleeping, but just the warmth of the other man and the soft sounds of his breathing were all that was needed to send him to sleep. 

***** 

Sasuke’s eyes blinked open blearily the next morning and he became acutely aware of his rumbling stomach, which meant the baby was hungry. “I know, I know.” He grumbled, swinging his legs out of bed. 

He spared a glance behind him to see Naruto still fast asleep, full lips parted, snoring lightly. He felt his cheeks heat up as he remembered asking the idiot to stay with him last night. Hopefully he wouldn’t think too much into it, he was dehydrated and hardly in his right mind. It was certainly not going to be a regular thing. 

Sasuke took in his surroundings, being able to see more clearly now that it was light. He had only been in Naruto’s apartment a handful of times and never in this particular room. Many people thought it was strange that Konoha’s hero still lived in the same place from his childhood, when he was nothing but an impoverished orphan. But Sasuke understood his reasons, it was somewhere he had always felt safe. When everyone was against him, this had been his home. 

His first thought that Naruto’s bedroom was far less orange than he anticipated. In fact, other than the jacket that lay crumpled on the floor, there was no orange in sight. His eyes scanned the room, the walls were an off-white colour, the bed sheets were blue and then he noticed it. 

Next to Naruto’s side of the bed. 

A crib. 

He walked around to get a closer look. It was simple yet elegant in its construction, the wooden frame had been painted white. Inside was a small mattress and a carefully folded blanket which he picked up to inspect further. Sasuke felt a strange fluttering in his chest as he took note of the Uchiha and Uzumaki symbols stitched onto the soft fabric. 

Not for the first time in recent weeks, his eyes started to get watery and he cursed the stupid hormones overtaking his senses. He was so caught up in trying not to cry he didn’t even notice that the snoring had ceased. 

“Do you like it?” Naruto asked tentatively. 

Sasuke cleared his throat and nodded, not trusting his voice right now. 

“I know it’s not much, but I just wanted to show you that we could make it work here. You, me and the baby.” Naruto said, edging closer to where Sasuke was standing. 

Sasuke brought the blanket to his chest, trying to formulate a response. 

What exactly was Naruto asking him? 

Fortunately, he was saved from replying by the loud rumbling of his stomach. 

Naruto chuckled, “Sounds like someone is hungry. Come on, I’ll make breakfast and you can go pee.” He leapt of the bed and went to the kitchen. 

“I never said I needed to pee.” Sasuke called after him. “But now that you mention it…” 

Naruto had made sure to stock his cupboards with food before leaving to bring Sasuke back here. As well as cleaning and tidying the place from top to bottom, he had built that crib himself. Sasuke seemed to like it, he also seemed to like the blanket he had embroidered by one of the old ladies in the village. He was just about to start making pancakes when he heard a knock at his door. 

He hurried to the door, hoping to dismiss the visitor quickly so he could go back to making breakfast. 

The visitor was definitely low down on his list of people he wanted to see. 

“Good morning Naruto-kun.” 

Naruto swallowed, feeling his throat becoming dry. “Hinata-chan, what can I do for you?” 

She looked down at her fingers, probably trying to avoid the sight of Naruto in his t-shirt and boxers. “I was wondering if you wanted to go to the festival with me tonight?” 

“Oh, I had completely forgotten about that.” Which was true. “I actually don’t think I’m going, I’m pretty exhausted from my other mission.” He hoped her pale eyes couldn’t see through his lie. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he had made his promise to Sasuke. He would explain everything to her when the time was right. 

“I see.” She replied, tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear and looking instantly saddened. 

“Anyway, I must be getting on, later, Hinata!” He quickly shut the door before she could say anything further and sighed with relief. He inwardly cursed at how bold Hinata seemed to be getting, it was clear she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer, but he couldn’t think about that right now. 

It was breakfast time. 

He served Sasuke a stack of pancakes, drizzled with honey and fresh fruit. “Eat up, we have to see Sakura at the hospital later. She said we can have one of those scan things.” Naruto told him, tucking into his own serving of pancakes. 

Sasuke raised an elegant eyebrow, “You mean an ultrasound?” 

“Yeah one of those! We will be able to see the baby and hear the heartbeat! How cool will that be? Hope you don’t start crying again bastard.” Naruto teased him. 

“Shut up.” The Uchiha hissed at him, “It’s not my fault. You try being pregnant and having all these annoying hormones.” 

“No thanks, I’ll leave that to you. Don’t worry you big cry-baby, I’ll be there to hold your hand.” Naruto said with a wink directed at the mortified Uchiha. 

“Keep your hands to yourself if you want them to stay connected to your body.” Sasuke warned him, yet the idiot still grinned back at him. 

***** 

A while later, they were in one of Konoha hospital’s private rooms with Sakura and Tsunade. 

“Well this is infinitely weirder than I imagined it would be.” Tsunade commented after a long moment of silence, taking in the Uchiha’s rounded belly and scowl set firmly in place. She honestly still expected this to be some kind of prank, that Uchiha couldn’t possibly be pregnant, on account of being first of all male, and second of all, asexual. Yet here he was standing before her, undoubtedly pregnant. 

“Can we get on with this?” Sasuke asked, crossing his arms over his chest, making his stomach stick out even more. 

Tsunade nodded, barely resisting the urge to down some sake before continuing. She instructed Sasuke to lie down on the paper-covered hospital bed and pull up his shirt, which he did without complaint. While the Hokage was busy spreading the clear gel over the pale mound of Sasuke’s exposed belly, Naruto paced between the bed and the door. 

“Stand still Naruto! You’re making me nervous.” Sakura scolded him and gave him a light push towards Sasuke on the bed. 

Despite the fact that she had been rendered speechless not 20 minutes ago, Tsunade was efficient and professional. She took the time to explain every step, which put the two parents-to-be at ease. 

She pressed a few buttons on what she told them was the ultrasound scanner. “Let’s see what’s going on in here, shall we?” She said and placed the ultrasound transducer against his abdomen. 

“Hmm,” She said after a few moments, blonde eyebrows furrowed in concentration. 

Sakura came to peer over her shoulder at the monitor, “Wow.” 

“Anything you like to share with us?” Sasuke said through gritted teeth. And as if Naruto could sense his distress, his hand found his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

“Congratulations, your baby seems to be completely healthy.” Tsunade said with a small smile. 

Naruto automatically tightened his grip on Sasuke’s hand. “Really? It has two arms, two legs?” 

“Yes Naruto.” She assured him. 

“All 10 fingers and 10 toes?” 

“Yes Naruto, see for yourself.” With her free hand, she pointed to the mess of black and white lines on the screen. 

Naruto pouted. “I can’t see anything!” 

Tsunade sighed and tucked a strand of honey-blonde hair behind her ear, “Look, here is the head.” 

Naruto tilted his head and his eyes widened as she explained further, “and there, that is a hand. Looks like the baby is sucking it’s thumb.” 

“Sasuke do you see that!? That is so cute!” He leaned forward to get a closer look, placing his arm behind Sasuke’s head. 

“Yeah I see it, idiot.” Sasuke said, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. 

Tsunade didn’t bother to ask if they wanted to hear the heartbeat, she simply gestured for Sakura to set up the monitor. 

A steady beating filled the room, it was fast, but strong not unlike the sound of a horse galloping. “That is your baby’s heartbeat.” 

She watched as Sasuke leaned his head back with a contented sigh, turning to look up at Naruto, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. Naruto gave him a blinding grin, the type that could melt anyone’s heart and bent down to kiss Sasuke’s forehead. Tsunade and Sakura both blinked at the overt sign of affection and the lack of maiming that followed. The two of them continued staring at each other, seemingly oblivious to the women in the room watching them. 

“Are you crying Naruto? Now who is the big cry-baby?” Sasuke teased, using the blonde’s words from earlier. 

Naruto hurriedly let go of Sasuke’s hand to wipe at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. “Shut up asshole.” He said, still grinning ear to ear. 

Tsunade cleared her throat. “Anyway, Sasuke I will need you to come back every two weeks, as this is still a high-risk pregnancy what with you being a man and all. Keep your fluid intake up and most importantly, rest.” Her dark-haired patient nodded at the orders. “And Naruto, please can I see you for a moment in my office when you are done here.” 

Naruto murmured some form of acknowledgement, still transfixed by the image of his baby on the ultrasound monitor. 

As Tsunade left, Sakura handed Sasuke a towel so he could wipe the gel from his stomach. “You know, now I’ve gotten to used to the idea of you two having babies, I can say I’m really happy for you both.” 

She started tidying away the equipment and handed them a printed copy of the ultrasound. 

Naruto’s eyes lit up. “Thank you Sakura-chan, that means a lot. You’re going to be such a big part of our baby’s life.” 

She smiled warmly at them both. “By the way, you should probably go and see Tsunade-sama now, it's best not to keep her waiting.” 

“Right. I’ll see you at home, Sasuke.” 

Sasuke nodded, clutching the ultrasound picture. As the door closed behind Naruto, he studied the picture more closely, his finger tracing the little figure of their baby. Out of the corner of his eye he could feel Sakura’s gaze on him. “If you’ve got something to say, then say it.” 

“No, it’s nothing.” She said, nonchalantly. 

Sakura pursed her lips, a few more moments of silence passed as she continued cleaning up. “Ok well it’s just, the two of you looked very…comfortable.” 

Sasuke arched an eyebrow in response, “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” 

“You know what I mean. The hand-holding, the cute little forehead kiss, the gazing into each other’s eyes.” 

“You’re thinking too much into things.” Sasuke said dismissively, getting off the bed in preparation to flee the increasingly embarrassing conversation. 

“Am I? I don’t know how I didn’t see it before.” She told him, shaking her head. 

“See what?” Sasuke inquired, clearly not seeing whatever Sakura was. 

“How much he likes you. I remember that time he basically had a panic attack because everyone wanted to kill you.” Sakura said, recalling the time Naruto had collapsed, hyperventilating in the snow at the mere thought of Sasuke being killed. 

“You’re crazy.” 

“I’m being serious, he is in lo-” 

“Don’t Sakura, I don’t want to hear it. If Naruto does feel any kind of affection towards me, it’s because of the baby and nothing else. Once the baby is born, he will go back to romancing Hinata like he clearly wants to.” 

“He said that?” She said, eyebrows raised and one hand on her hip. 

“He might as well have. She asked him on a date, he said yes. The only reason he’s not on a date with her now is because I asked him not to.” Sasuke explained, hoping he didn’t sound as pathetic as he did to his own ears. 

“Sasuke, just listen to me. You have always been Naruto’s most precious person and I think that now he is only beginning to understand what that means. So, don’t write off his feelings just yet, ok?” She said firmly, leaving no room for debate. 

“Why are you playing matchmaker all of a sudden?” Sasuke asked her suspiciously. 

“Let’s face it, you two emotionally-stunted idiots need all the help you can get.” She teased, poking him lightly. 

“I guess we do.” He agreed. 

“By the way, are you two going to the festival tonight?” Sakura asked, before Sasuke had a chance to leave. 

“What festival?” Being away from the village for 6 months meant he was a bit out of the loop. 

“Well of course you wouldn’t know. The festival of lights, everyone has been talking about it for weeks.” She informed him, her green eyes bright with excitement. “Lee asked me to go with him.” 

“Naruto didn’t mention it.” 

“He wouldn’t, he’s an idiot. Oh, but you should ask him to take you there! On a date!” She said enthusiastically and Sasuke was worried she would start jumping up and down, squealing. 

“There is no way I am doing that, and besides, I have nothing to wear to a festival.” A festival in Konoha usually required everyone who attended to wear formal kimonos. 

“I will sort out the clothes, don’t worry.” She said and Sasuke almost shivered at the devious look in her eyes. “See you later Sasuke!” 

***** 

“A mission?” He repeated tiredly. 

“Yes, I know, and I wouldn’t send you unless it was really important. I need to send my best ninja which are you and Sasuke. Thanks to you, Sasuke is out of action, meaning you’re my only option.” She explained. 

“But Baa-chan, I literally just got back.” Naruto whined at the Godaime seated at her desk. 

“You know most other jounin listen carefully to the mission details.” She scolded him, though most jounin were not Naruto. 

Naruto shifted on his feet. “Ok, I’m listening.” 

“Some S-class rogue-nin have been spotted near the border of Sound. I already sent two teams, but they appear to have been taken out.” She explained gravely. 

“This sounds like an ANBU mission, I’m just a jounin.” Naruto pointed out. 

“I am aware of that, I just think it would be a good idea to complete a few ANBU-level missions to further support your Hokage application.” She eyed the blonde’s reaction and noted the distinct lack of enthusiasm. “Naruto, if I’m honest I thought you would be a little bit more excited than this.” 

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s not that I’m not happy or anything, I just have more important things to worry about right now.” 

Tsunade stood up from her desk and walked over to Naruto, reaching up to place her hands on his shoulders. “Well think of it this way, you want to be there for Sasuke and the baby, right? That is going to be next to impossible while being a shinobi on active mission duty. There are certain perks to being Hokage though, staying in the village is one of them.” 

Naruto looked down at her and it was as if she could see the cogs turning in his head. “Just say you will think about it.” 

“I’ll think about it.” He nodded. 

“You leave tomorrow afternoon, so you have time to rest and attend the festival tonight if you wish. Maybe you want to ask a certain knocked up Uchiha.” She squeezed his shoulders, enjoying the bright red flush that appeared on Naruto’s cheeks. 

He wriggled out of her hold, “are you talking about Sasuke?” 

“Unless you know any other pregnant members of the Uchiha clan?” She said, quirking a small smile. 

“If you are suggesting I ask Sasuke on a …date, forget it. Like Sasuke would say yes to something like that.” Naruto told her as he headed for the door. 

“Just think about it?” She called after him as he left. 

“I’ll think about it!” He shouted back, muttering something about interfering old hags under his breath. 

_Surely, there was no way Sasuke would agree to go on a date with him?_

***** 

“Sasuke, I’m home!” Naruto called out to his raven-haired companion upon arriving back home. 

“I’m in the kitchen.” Came the reply. 

Noticing the delicious smell of ramen, he swiftly took off his sandals and discarded them haphazardly by the door. 

Sure enough, Sasuke was standing in the kitchen, dishing up two large bowls of ramen and in that moment, Naruto had to fight the urge to do something stupid. Like wrap his arms around him and kiss him deeply or push his hair back and tell him –. 

“You hungry?” Sasuke asked him, preventing him from continuing that line of thought. 

“Does a bear shit in the woods?” Naruto said, taking the bowls over to the table. 

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow and followed him to the table. 

“It’s a saying, Sasuke. Bears always shit in the woods, I’m always hungry – never mind…” The blonde shook his head. 

“So, what did Tsunade want to talk to you about?” Sasuke asked him, curious. 

“Bah, the old hag is sending me on another mission.” Naruto told him grimly. 

“Oh, so soon.” A flicker of sadness crossed the Uchiha’s features, that Naruto might have missed if he wasn’t so attuned to Sasuke’s every micro expression. 

“Yeah, it can’t be helped. I don’t have to leave until tomorrow afternoon though.” Naruto said, fiddling with the chopsticks in his hands. 

“I see.” Sasuke murmured, beginning to eat the noodles in front of him. 

Naruto stopped playing with his eating utensils and took a careful breath, “I wanted to ask you something actually. You probably didn’t hear but there is a festival tonight.” 

“Sakura mentioned it earlier at the hospital.” Sasuke told him, though of course leaving out her ridiculous suggestion. 

“Would you like to go with me? If you don’t want to, I completely understand, but it is my last night here in a while and I really want to-” 

“Yes.” Was the curt reply, promptly putting an end to Naruto’s rambling. 

“Yes?” The blonde blinked twice. 

“Yes.” Sasuke repeated, bringing his eyes up to meet Naruto’s. 

“I mean, go there, the two of us.” Naruto added, though the word ‘date’ not quite leaving his lips. 

“Yes Naruto, I would like to go there with you, just the two of us.” He hoped that the blush he could feel creeping onto his cheeks was unnoticeable. 

“Ok great. There is the problem of clothing, I don’t have any formal clothes for you. I kind of wasn’t expecting you to say yes.” Naruto explained, scratching the back of his head. 

“Actually, Sakura brought round some things for me earlier.” Sasuke said, his cheeks still lightly flushed. 

“Problem solved then!” Naruto devoured the ramen instantaneously and brought the bowl to his lips to drain the broth. “The festivities start around 6 tonight, so I’ll see you then.” He added with a wink and sauntered to the door. 

Sasuke was left to finish his ramen alone, a singular thought running through his head. 

_He was going on a date with Naruto._

###### 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY they are going on a date! But it will be in the next chapter, the baby scan took longer than I expected so I had to cut this chapter into two - I won't keep you waiting too long though.


	9. Fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I managed to finish this chapter earlier than I thought so here it is! Thank you once more to everyone who gives kudos/bookmarks and especially to those people who comment on every chapter - you guys keep that fire under my ass going!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and have a lovely weekend - please see notes at the end, I don't want to give any spoilers here XD

###  Chapter Nine: Fireworks 

Sasuke was beyond irritated, it was nearing 6 o’clock and Naruto was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t been home since he disappeared after lunch, leaving Sasuke to his own devices. Sasuke exited the bathroom and looked at the clothes laid out on the bed that Sakura had brought for him. The woman had good taste he would give her that. He removed the t-shirt and shorts he was currently wearing and picked up the dark-blue yukata. He slipped on the garment, the cotton feeling soft against his bare skin. 

Sasuke took the right edge of the yukata and tucked it into his left hip bone and did the opposite with the other edge, the fabric now taut over his rounded stomach. Then he tied the koshihimo (belt) loosely around his waist before wrapping white-coloured obi around himself, just at the top of his bump making it look even bigger than it already was. 

He took at look at himself in the floor-length mirror. The yukata Sakura had chosen was simple in design, with just a few delicate flowers around the sleeves and collar. He supposed he looked a lot like a female now, albeit a very flat-chested female. He had always had a slight build, with narrow shoulders, but now his hips were wider as to support the growing baby inside him. His hair was also longer, it was currently tied back at the nape of his neck. He had never cared about his appearance, but he briefly wondered if Naruto would even be attracted to him like this. Which reminded him, Naruto was still yet to return. 

“I swear if that idiot had stood me up…” He muttered to himself. 

There was a loud knock and his first thought was that maybe something had happened to Naruto, so he rushed to the door. 

“You live here you idiot, why are you knocking at the door?” Sasuke said, partly annoyed and partly relieved that the moron was now here. 

“I’m here to pick you up.” He told him grinning ear to ear. 

Sasuke only then realised that Naruto looked different. He was dressed in a bright blue yukata, which both complimented his eyes and highlighted his bronzed skin. The fabric of his clothing was stretched tight across his expansive frame, exposing his muscled chest. He had also attempted to tame his wild blonde locks but had failed miserably in doing so. 

He looked up at Naruto, hoping he hadn’t been caught staring but instead found the blonde’s eyes glued on him. 

“Wow Sasuke, you look...” His voice came all odd and breathless and he hastily cleared his throat, “I have something for you.” 

“It better not be flowers.” Sasuke gave him a withering look. 

Naruto chuckled, “No not flowers,” He showed him what he was holding. “Masks, one for you and one for me. They were selling them for the festival tonight, I knew you would be worried about going out in public.” 

Sasuke accepted the mask Naruto was holding out to him. “That is very…thoughtful of you.” He ran his fingers over the design on the mask, the red lines standing out against the white porcelain. “A cat?” 

“Yeah, it reminded me of you. Mine is a fox!” Naruto showed him, placing his fox-mask, which suited him perfectly, over his face. “Let’s go?” 

Sasuke nodded, slipping on his wooden sandals and putting on his own mask, now effectively incognito. 

“The villagers have been busy decorating all day.” Naruto explained as he closed the door behind them, placing a hand on the small of Sasuke’s back to guide him. “There are a lot of games, food stalls and a firework display later.” 

Konoha were illuminated with colourful lanterns, the atmosphere was exhilarating. The air was filled with the scent of freshly cooked food and the sounds of music and laughter. The streets were heaving with people which allowed them to blend in with ease. 

Small children played and chased each other and Sasuke found himself rubbing his stomach absentmindedly, imagining one day his own child might do the same. 

Sakura had told him that the festival of lights was a new tradition in Konoha, celebrating the end of the great shinobi war 5 years ago and therefore celebrating how good conquers evil just as light conquers darkness. 

The pair stopped to watch some dancers performing, dressed in vibrant traditional clothing, moving energetically to the beat of a drum. Obviously, Naruto had to join in and try and mimic their movements, Sasuke rolled his eyes and dragged him away by the hand. 

“This way,” Sasuke led him, his cheeks becoming hot when he realised they were still holding hands. “I saw some stalls with games.” 

The first game they came across was shuriken toss, Naruto cracked his knuckles in preparation. “Get ready to lose asshole.” 

“In your dreams, moron.” Sasuke countered, feeling that buzz of adrenaline that he always got whenever Naruto challenged him. 

“You get five shuriken, if you land all five on the pegs successfully, you win a prize.” The stall owner told them. 

Naruto was up first, he landed the first four perfectly, but the last one bounced off the wooden peg and clattered to the ground. 

Sasuke smirked beneath his mask, “bad luck, now let me show you how it’s done.” 

Naruto pouted and stepped aside, allowing Sasuke to take his place. With finesse, Sasuke threw the shuriken simultaneously and they landed one by one on the pegs effortlessly. The thrill of wining made him feel alive, despite Naruto muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “show off,” under his breath. 

“Wow! That was amazing!” The stall owner commented, looking astounded, “don’t forget to choose your prize!” 

There was an array of stuffed animals, but he knew instantly which one he wanted. “That one, please.” 

The man reached up to get the plushy and handed it to Sasuke. 

“Here.” Sasuke said to Naruto, tossing the prize to him. 

It was a small orange fox, complete with an adorable grin and a big, fluffy tail. Naruto squeezed it against his chest. “Thanks, Sasuke.” 

Sasuke of course couldn’t see his expression, but he imagined he had that sappy look in his eyes and was giving him smile that he would reluctantly admit, made his knees go weak. 

“You’re welcome, call it a consolation prize for getting your ass kicked by a pregnant person.” 

Naruto spluttered. “I _did not_ get my ass kicked! I totally let you win because I didn’t want you to start crying! Come on let’s go light a lantern!” 

Naruto picked up his hand and pulled him towards an old lady who was selling the paper lanterns. He took out his frog-purse and paid for one. 

“Let’s release it somewhere where there are less people.” 

Sasuke nodded and they wandered down different side roads until they found a deserted area, close to the training grounds. 

“There is no one here, we can take off the masks for a bit.” Naruto pointed out, taking off his own mask and placing it gently on the ground, along side his fox plushy. 

Sasuke did the same, relieved to feel the warm summer air against skin. “You want me to light it?” He offered, knowing he wouldn’t expend a significant amount of chakra in doing so. 

“Ok but before we let it go, we need to make a wish.” Naruto instructed, holding the lantern still so Sasuke could perform his katon jutsu to create a small flame. 

“Making wishes? Isn’t that a bit childish?” Sasuke asked, arching a dark eyebrow. 

They both held onto one side, the lit lantern casting a warm glow on their faces. 

“Humour me, Sasuke.” Naruto says. 

The Uchiha sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine, what are you wishing for?” 

“I can’t tell you, otherwise it won’t come true. Just think of something you want more than anything.” The pair locked eyes over the lantern. 

They silently made their wishes and let go of the lantern, watching it drift up into the night’s sky, joining the sea of others already floating away. 

“How about we get something to eat then find some place high to watch the fireworks?” Naruto suggests, food never being far from his thoughts. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Sasuke agreed. 

The pair put their masks back on, Naruto made sure to pick up his little fox and with his free hand reached out towards Sasuke. 

For once Sasuke was glad he was wearing this mask as he could feel himself blushing like a damn school girl – something which was completely hormone-induced. He placed his hand in Naruto’s, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his chest as he felt the blonde’s thumb caress the back of his hand. 

They made their way back to the village centre, weaving in and out of the crowds until they saw the food stalls. 

Naruto scanned the various options, “you want something savoury right? Takoyaki? Yakisoba?” 

“I want some dango actually.” Sasuke replied, the sweet dumplings having caught his eye. 

“Coming right up.” Naruto paid for two serving of the dumplings and they went about finding a good spot to eat and watch the fireworks in peace. 

They found a perfect place on a grassy hill, they sat down removed their masks once more now they were alone again, and ate their food whilst waiting for the fireworks to commence. 

Within minutes of them finishing the dumplings the first firework burst through the dark night, leaving fiery blooms amongst the stars and the smell of gunpowder dispersing in the air. The fireworks had been masterfully set up, cascading beautifully into the sky one after the other. Naruto stared up in awe at the show, then glanced over at Sasuke. His face was turned up towards the heavens and as the multiple colours flashed brightly across his features, Naruto’s heart jerked painfully in his chest. Sasuke was looked so peaceful, and happier than Naruto had ever seen him. 

Sasuke gently rubbed his rounded stomach and Naruto couldn’t remember a sight he wanted to carve into his mind more. He wanted to hold onto this memory for the rest of his life. The two of them alone. Scratch that, the three of them, alone. Just Sasuke, Naruto and their baby. Not the last member of the cursed Uchiha clan, or the future Hokage with a 9-tailed fox inside him. 

He couldn’t even stop his hand reaching towards Sasuke if he tried. He lightly brushed the dark strands of hair that had fallen behind his ear, causing Sasuke to look at him, a question clearly written on his face. 

Before Sasuke has a chance to push him away, he leans in brushing his lips against Sasuke’s in a chaste kiss. Sasuke doesn’t pull back or move away, or yell at him or any of the other things Naruto thought he might do. He’s still and quiet, lips soft and pliant. Naruto can still taste the sweetness from the dango on his breath, and he darts his tongue over Sasuke’s bottom lip, feeling strangely brave. 

Sasuke moans into his mouth, parting his lips and Naruto takes the opportunity to slide his tongue inside. He glides it soft and slow against Sasuke’s and Sasuke responds, licking tentatively at Naruto’s tongue, pulling at the blonde’s yukata. Then it’s all over, and he draws back, pushing Naruto away from him. 

Naruto had always considered himself an expert in all the little details that make up Uchiha Sasuke, but now he can’t read his face, knows nothing of what Sasuke is thinking and it kills him. 

Naruto wants to tell him he’s joking, that it was a prank or a dare Kiba put him up to. Naruto wants to apologise, wants to say he’s sorry and ask Sasuke to yell at him, to run a chidori through him. Wants to tell Sasuke that it’s ok if he never wants to look at him again, if he wants to go off into the sunset with his baby and leave him alone with nothing but memories and the hopes of what could have been. 

“I love you,” he says instead. His heart explodes and puts itself back together under the raw intensity of Sasuke’s stare. He feels like he is steping off the edge of the universe and falling into Sasuke’s eyes, dark and endless. “I love you, Sasuke,” he says again. “I love you, I love you, I love-” 

Sasuke swallows up Naruto’s words with his mouth, pressing his lips hungrily against Naruto’s. Naruto wraps his other arm around him, pulling him in tight until they fit together, as best as they can with Sasuke’s belly in between them. 

Naruto’s tongue finds its way inside Sasuke’s mouth again, and they move perfectly together. Naruto tells himself that this must be a dream, one he never wants to wake from but Sasuke’s nipping at his lips with his teeth and the reality sinks in, surrounding him and engulfing him in a fiery haze of lust. 

And when Naruto thinks Sasuke is going to stop, he doesn’t. They kiss for what seems like an eternity, spit-slicked lips sliding and tongues battling against one another, the crescendo of exploding fireworks as their backdrop. Naruto thinks he could probably stay here forever, kissing Sasuke, but then he finally pulls away, slowly, eyes half-lidded. 

They look at each other for a long time, Sasuke is the first to break the silence. 

“You’re only saying that because of the baby.” He says, voice rough and crackly from all the kissing. 

Naruto laughs at that and it takes Sasuke by surprise. He looks away like he’s sure Naruto is making fun of him. 

“And you call me an idiot.” He softly touches Sasuke’s chin, tilting his head back towards him. “I’m saying that because I think I’ve felt this way for as long as I can remember.” 

Sasuke looks at him like he knows exactly what he means, this thing between them has been there for so long. “I feel the same.” He whispers, grabbing the front of Naruto’s yukata once more. 

Naruto swears his heart stops, the blood in his arteries and veins shuddering to a dangerous halt, nothing circulating in his body other than the singular thought that Sasuke wants this too. The feeling of Sasuke’s breath on his lips and the light pressure of his hands on his chest pulls him back into the present. Naruto trails his fingers along a high cheekbone and down to his mouth, brushing his thumb over Sasuke’s bottom lip, still wet and swollen from the kiss, Sasuke’s eyes flutter shut. 

“Do you wanna-” Naruto coughs and clears his throat, reluctantly drawing his hands back until they fall softly in his lap. “Do you wanna head back?” 

Sasuke’s eyes blink open slowly, as if he too was just coming back to reality. “Yeah.” He replies, his voice sounding strained. 

Naruto gets to his feet and holds his hands out to assist Sasuke (who would never admit out loud that he now needed help getting up). He picks up their masks, the fox and their litter and throws one arm around Sasuke’s shoulders, feeling suddenly confident. 

The fireworks had long since ended, not that either of them had noticed, and the streets were now mostly empty, save for a few drunk people staggering about aimlessly so they walked back to the apartment undisturbed. 

Sasuke looked up at Naruto’s eyes which were shining fiercely, his wide, open smile glittering beautifully under the sterile glow of the street lights. The walk back is short, and neither of them say anything. The only thing Sasuke can focus on is the warmth from Naruto’s body pressed flush against his side and the feel of his fingers rubbing his clothed shoulder soothingly. 

They are still silent after they step into the apartment, there is the quiet echo of the door closing behind them. They take off their sandals and Sasuke looks to Naruto, who is shuffling nervously on his feet, playing with a loose thread on his yukata. 

Sasuke doesn’t know where his confidence from earlier has disappeared to and realises they still haven’t discussed what any of this actually means. 

“I’m not…I’m not really sure how this is supposed to work,” Naruto admits, scratching the back of his awkwardly smoothed-down hair. “I mean, what are we now? What does this all mean? Are we going to have sex? But this is our first date and you’re pregn-” 

Sasuke steps towards him and silences his blabbering with a finger against his kiss-chapped lips. “Let’s not over complicate things. We don’t need to label what we are, as long as we know how we feel about each other.” He folds his arms self-consciously across his chest. “As far as having sex… Would you even want me like that? I mean look at me.” 

Naruto closes the remaining gap between them and they’re kissing again. Sasuke’s brain short circuits, he feels his whole-body spark and ignite as Naruto backs him gently into the door behind them. Naruto pulls back just enough to whisper against his lips, “Sasuke, I don’t think I will ever not want you. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, I will have you anyway you let me.” 

Sasuke feels his heart swell at the words and he fists his hands in the unruly blonde hair, their lips sliding together once more in a deep, desperate kiss. Naruto’s hands tighten around him, his mouth breaks away from Sasuke’s only to leave a trail of kisses along his jaw and suck teasingly hard at a spot just below his ear, knowing that it will leave a mark there tomorrow but failing to care. 

Before things could go any further, something happens which makes both of them freeze. 

“What was that?” Naruto said, stepping away from Sasuke, wide eyes fixed on the his stomach. 

“I think the baby just kicked. I’ve felt little movements before but nothing like that.” Sasuke replied, equally in shock. 

Naruto lowered to his knees, bracing a hand on either side of Sasuke’s belly. “Do you think he was trying to stop us from going any further? I mean things were getting pretty heated just then.” 

“I don’t think a 6-month-old foetus is aware of such things.” Sasuke said, looking down at Naruto patiently rubbing his belly, trying to coax more movement from the resident within. 

“Probably for the best away, I don’t want you to think I put out that easy.” Naruto said, tossing a wink his way. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, “can I just remind you of how I got pregnant in the first place?” 

“Yeah by you taking advantage of my sweet, innocent, drunken-self. I can’t believe that’s it.” Naruto pouted following subsequent moments of stillness. 

Not willing to give up, he tried a new tactic, poking. 

“Idiot, quit poking me.” Sasuke warned, but any building irritation subsided when he felt another kick. 

“That’s incredible.” Naruto said in awe as he poked him again, which was followed by another strong kick. “I think he’s play-fighting with me!” 

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Sasuke’s mouth. “He? Do you know something I don’t?” 

“Hmmm I just have a feeling…” Naruto had stopped poking and was now back to rubbing, which Sasuke found strangely calming. 

Naruto must have noticed he was looking tired because he rose to his feet and pulled Sasuke by the hand into the bedroom. “Come on let’s get you to bed.” 

They brushed their teeth and got ready for bed quickly, both sleepy after the day they’d had. 

“I can sleep on the sofa if you want the bed to yourself.” Naruto offered, still certain Sasuke would push him away. 

“No don’t be silly, it’s best if you’re close in case I need anything.” Sasuke said as he slipped under the covers, happy to claim this new sleeping arrangement was out of necessity rather than want. 

Naruto didn’t need to be told twice, and joined him in the bed, on his side so they were facing each other. 

“You know what I wished for earlier?” Naruto said, just as Sasuke was on the verge of drifting off. 

“I thought you weren’t supposed to tell.” Sasuke murmurs into the pillow. 

“I can tell you, because my wish has already come true.” Naruto continued, shuffling forward in the bed until their noses were almost touching. “I wished for you, Sasuke.” 

“I hate to break it to you, but you just wasted a perfectly good wish.” Sasuke says, looking into Naruto’s eyes, “because I was already yours.” 

For about ten seconds Naruto doesn’t say anything. He seems to be registering and processing Sasuke’s words. Sasuke assumed Naruto would say something equally sappy, or maybe start tearing up at the very least, he certainly did not expect the outburst of laughter that erupted from the blonde’s throat. 

Sasuke watched, taken aback as Naruto’s rumbling laughter echoed in the otherwise silent room. 

“What?!” Sasuke asked, seemingly indignant. 

“That was…” Naruto managed to get out, barely catching his breath because he was laughing so hard. “That was the cheesiest, most un-Sasuke thing I’ve ever heard you say.” Naruto laughed even harder, clutching at his stomach like it was aching with the contraction of his muscles. Naruto rolled on the bed, shaking with the force of his laughter. 

“Oh, shut up! I opened my heart to you and this is what I get?” Sasuke wasn’t necessary angry, more so embarrassed. He had trouble showing emotion as it was thanks to a combination of childhood trauma and years of repressing his feelings. 

Sasuke turned over onto his other side with a huff, and Naruto’s laughter finally ceased. 

“I’m sorry Sasuke,” Naruto began, “but that was really funny.” 

“Yeah well that is the last time I say anything like that to you.” Sasuke said, still sulking in way that was most unbefitting of an Uchiha. 

“C’mere,” Naruto murmured and Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled back against Naruto’s chest with little resistance. 

Naruto’s arm was a comforting weight around his middle, and the heat from his body made his eyelids feel heavy. In the darkness of the room, the two closed their eyes, and waited for sleep. 

“Sasuke?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m yours too.” 

***** 

_**Earlier that night**_

Hinata bid farewell to Kiba and Shino, after insisting she was more than capable of walking home by herself. The festival was over, and the streets were all but empty save from a few stragglers stumbling along the walkway. 

It had been a pleasant evening, though if she was honest, she had hoped she would have spent it with someone else. Naruto had continued to be elusive despite her recent attempts at seducing him. He hadn’t noticed the extra effort she had been making with her appearance - the more revealing clothes and her change of hairstyle. Neither had he accepted any of her offers to go out on a date. 

Sometimes she was worried she was making a fool of herself, but she knew they were meant to be together. She was heir to one of the most noble clans in Konoha, with a prestigious blood lineage, he was a war hero and next in line for Hokage. She had loved and admired him from a far since they were children, surely that meant that Naruto was hers? 

Yet Naruto seemed to be evading her and it was just so frustrating. She felt like she was constantly seeing the man everywhere she went, like now for example. She sees a tall blonde guy up ahead, arm wrapped around the shoulders of his dark-haired companion. 

She continued walking behind the couple, fascinated by the way they were so close to each other like they were in their own little world. 

The blonde man turned his head to the side and she froze, her heart stopping. There must be a mistake, she thought. Naruto told her he wasn’t going to the festival. 

Yet there was no mistaking the whisker-scars on his cheeks. There was no mistaking those blue eyes twinkling at his companion. She watched as Naruto tightened his arm around the mysterious stranger, a smile on his lips, which made her feel light-headed, even though it wasn’t directed at her. 

She clenched her fists by her side. 

_Why had he lied to her?_

_More importantly who was she?_

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the scenes between the boys, it took me ages until I was really happy with everything. I hope you didn't feel that the kiss was too rushed, it has been building for 8 chapters xd and with Naruto and Sasuke everything tends to go from 0 to 100 very quickly!
> 
> What are your thoughts on Hinata? Obviously she needs to confront Naruto about this other 'woman' (poor Sasuke) but how do you think she should react? I'm not sure yet whether she will be upset and hurt or if she will go mental haha - please let me know your thoughts.


	10. Every time

###  Chapter Three: Every time 

Waking up next to Sasuke was a novel experience, with his nose buried in his hair, breathing in the faint apple scent of his shampoo and his arm wrapped tight around him. He could get used to this, he thought, a smile breaking out on his face. 

Sasuke started to stir, feeling a pair of lips close around the nape of his neck and suck, sending a shiver down his spine at how good it felt. The hand that was resting on his stomach moved to his chest, rubbing over his hardening nipples through his t-shirt and Sasuke’s toes curled. Sasuke bared his neck, inviting the blonde to continue kissing, biting and licking the pale skin there. 

Sasuke moaned lightly and reached back to burry his hand in the wild mess of Naruto’s hair, turning his head to meet his lips in a hurried kiss. Their morning breath mingled, and their tongues intertwined as they made out. Sasuke felt Naruto’s fingers pull at his t-shirt and they broke apart only to lift the offending item of clothing over his head. Naruto did the same, flinging it somewhere in the room and then he was back on Sasuke, kissing him urgently like his life depended on it. 

They both relished in the feeling of their bare skin touching, Sasuke turned in Naruto’s arms so he was now facing him, and their kissing deepened. Naruto’s hands trailed up and down his back, before gripping his hips and pulling him as close as Sasuke’s belly would allow. 

Sasuke heard a low, vibrating sound of pleasure emanating from Naruto’s throat and he tightened his grip the blonde’s hair, nipping at his bottom lip. It was all too much, yet it wasn’t enough. Sasuke threw his leg over Naruto’s waist, allowing him to press even closer to Naruto’s muscled torso. He moved his leg slightly, and that is when he felt Naruto’s evident arousal against his thigh. 

Naruto pulled back abruptly, looking both embarrassed and turned on. The sight of Sasuke, so dishevelled and hot, his cheeks rosy and his lips swollen from their kissing almost made him lose control. “Umm good morning.” 

“Good morning.” Sasuke replied breathlessly. 

“Actually, it’s afternoon.” Naruto noted, looking at the clock on his bedside table. “Shit, I need to leave soon. How about I run you a bath before I leave?” 

“No complaints here.” Sasuke said, a bath is just what he needed to calm himself and collect his thoughts. 

“One bath coming right up your highness!” Naruto pecked him on the lips and dashed out the room. 

Sasuke flopped back against the pillows and sighed. For a moment there, things were moving fast, and he felt like be scared or nervous, but he wasn’t. He got out of bed and stretched, suddenly feeling quite hungry. He grabbed Naruto’s bathrobe, not being able to spot where the idiot had thrown his t-shirt that he slept in and made his way to the kitchen. He took a deliciously green apple from the fruit bowl and was about to take a bite when he heard a rapping at the door. He waited for Naruto to answer it, but the blonde obviously couldn’t hear the knocking over the sound of running water. The noise was giving him a headache, so he marched to the door and pulled it ajar, careful to conceal his lower torso. 

Sasuke was met with the wide, pale eyes of Hyuuga Hinata. 

“Sasuke-san, what are you doing here?” She looked both angry and confused to see him. 

“I live here.” He replied shortly. 

She bristled, crossing her hands over her chest. “I see. Anyway, I need to speak to Naruto.” 

His dark eyes narrowed. For some reason this whole situation was irritating the Uchiha. Who did she think she was, just turning up to Naruto’s apartment and demanding to see him? 

“Naruto is currently indisposed.” He told her, enjoying the reaction he received. She almost believed him until the sound of Naruto’s voiced rang through the apartment. 

“Sasuke!?” 

Hinata uncrossed her arms and pushed past Sasuke to get inside, “Doesn’t sound like he’s indisposed to me.” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and closed the door. Things were about to get a lot more awkward. 

He followed Hinata to the living room where Naruto was standing, still topless from early, looking sheepish. 

He scratched the back of his head, “Hinata-chan, what can I do for you?” 

“You lied to me. You told me that you weren’t going to the festival yesterday.” She said, for once meeting Naruto’s eyes. 

“I wasn’t going to go but I changed my mind.” He explained, omitting the part where he had asked Sasuke there on a date. 

“I saw you there. Who was she?” Hinata asked, referring to the mysterious dark-haired woman he had his arm around. 

“You’ve lost me.” Naruto looked blankly at her. 

“Idiot, she means me.” Sasuke interjected and Hinata turned to look at him. 

That’s when her eyes widened as she took in his messy hair, kiss swollen lips and the dark marks that littered his neck. “You….and Naruto…” She said disbelievingly. 

Sasuke held his head up high and walked over to Naruto’s side. “That’s correct.” 

“Hinata, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before, I really am. It was never my intention to lead you on but this whole thing with Sasuke happened pretty fast, I only just started to figure out how I feel about him. What with the baby and everything, I haven’t really been thinking about-” 

“The baby? What baby?” She recoils. 

“Our baby.” Sasuke told her, trying not to sound as smug as he felt, placing one hand on top of his belly, rubbing it protectively. 

Her gaze lowered to Sasuke’s rounded stomach which had somehow gone unnoticed up until now. Her mouth opened and closed several times, not quite able to formulate a response. 

Naruto finally broke the silence. “I know this is a lot to take in, and I didn’t want you to find out like this.” He threw a side glance to Sasuke for his lack of tact. 

“A lot to take in? This is a joke, right?” She wanted Naruto to laugh, to tell her he was just winding her up. Then he would apologise and take her on a date, and everything will be ok again. 

“No this is real.” His voice serious, void of any humour or amusement. 

“But this isn’t right! We are supposed to be together. You’re going to become Hokage, and you need a wife to be by your side.” Hinata begins, eyes looking up at Naruto desperately. 

“You can’t just claim him as yours because of your one-sided infatuation.” Sasuke snapped. 

“And you can? You’re a traitor to this village and you have brought him nothing be misery, and now you think by trapping him with a bastard child you will make him happy?” She hissed at him. 

Naruto was surprised at Hinata’s sudden outburst which was very out of character for the normally reserved woman. “Hinata,” he began stepping forward and touching her lightly on the shoulder, “You have every right to be upset, but please don’t insult Sasuke or our baby.” His voice was soft, yet the warning behind his words was clear. 

Her eyes welled up with unshed tears, “but Naruto-kun, it was supposed to be me, by your side, having your children.” 

“No, it wasn’t.” He told her gently, and the first tears started flowing. 

“I love you so much! I don’t want to let you go.” She all but wailed, not able to contain her emotions any longer. 

“You have to, I love Sasuke and nothing is going to change that. He makes me happy, being with him makes me feel complete. One day you’ll find someone that feels the same way about you.” He hugged her and she sobbed quietly against his chest. 

His words made Sasuke feel warm inside, deep within his very being. He knew how Naruto felt about him, but it was something else to hear him say it to another person, that person being Hinata of all people. He watched Naruto comfort the crying girl and decided he would leave the pair alone; his bath was waiting for him. 

After a few minutes she regained some composure and wiped at her now red-rimmed eyes. “I’ll need some time, but I hope one day maybe we can see each other as friends.” 

“Of course, Hinata-chan, I would like that.” Naruto smiled weakly at her, still feeling guilty about not being upfront with her before. He escorted her to the door, noticing Sasuke had long since disappeared. 

He bid her goodbye and leant back against the closed door, exhaling deeply. That certainly could have gone better, he definitely could have done without Sasuke parading his bump about and generally being very smug. 

He figured that Sasuke was in the bathroom. He knocked on the door, “Sasuke?” 

“I’m in the bath, it was getting cold.” The reply is soft and muffled through the door. 

“Can I come in?” Naruto asked, fully prepared to be shot down. 

He heard some splashing before Sasuke called out, “Yes you can come in.” 

Naruto opened the door and cautiously poked his head out, he was half-expecting to see Sasuke completely naked and was only slightly disappointed to see he had carefully arranged the bubbles to protect his modesty. Though he could just make out the pale peak of Sasuke’s stomach, poking out from the blanket of bubbles. 

Naruto stepped inside and sat down on the closed lid of the toilet. “Are you angry with me?” 

“No, I’m just annoyed that she thinks she owns you just because she stalked you for a few years.” Sasuke told him, sinking further into the bubbles. 

“Yeah well you know she never stood a chance, right?” Naruto said fondly. 

“You were never tempted?” Sasuke eyed him warily. 

“For a minute a considered it, only because so many people were expecting it of me. But now I’ve realised I don’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks, I’ll choose you every time, Sasuke.” He said smiling sincerely, reaching out to rub a stiff, soapy shoulder. 

Sasuke still remained tense, “even at the expense of being Hokage?” 

“Every time.” Naruto repeated, dropping one of those little kisses on Sasuke’s forehead that made him feel light headed. “However, being Hokage means I won’t have to keep leaving you, which reminds me, I need to leave you.” 

If Sasuke wasn’t an Uchiha he would have pouted, “when will you be back?” 

“As quick as I can, but really I have no idea. I have to track these guys down first and then get rid of them.” Naruto explained solemnly. 

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” Sasuke asks, his tone neutral but the underlying concern clear as day. 

“Of course, I’ll always come back to you.” Naruto assures him, still rubbing the skin of his shoulder soothingly. 

“And your baby.” Sasuke reminded him, like he could possibly forget. 

At that, Naruto’s grin brightened impossibly, “and our baby. I promise I’m not going to get myself killed and leave you if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“Not worried, you’re way too stubborn to die.” Sasuke scoffed, knowing from experience. 

“Exactly! I expect you to be nice and big when I get back.” Naruto told him, reaching down to gently rub the top of Sasuke’s belly that was peeking out of the bubbles. 

“Well I’m not going to be getting any smaller that’s for sure.” Sasuke said, covering Naruto’s hand on his stomach. 

Naruto chuckled, “that’s true. Now give me a goodbye kiss you mean bastard.” 

“You say the sweetest things.” Sasuke rolled his eyes but allowed Naruto to pull him closer anyway. 

“That’s my pet name for you! Would you prefer something else? Honeybun? Love muffin?” 

“Call me either of those and you will regret it.” Sasuke warns. 

“What about sweetheart? Or baby?” Naruto continued to tease him. 

“Shut up.” Sasuke’s expression was one of anger, but the pink blush on his cheeks said otherwise. 

Naruto’s grin widened, “you definitely like baby.” 

Sasuke remembered there was a more effective way to silence Naruto and pressed his lips against the blonde’s. The kissed for a few moments before Naruto reluctantly pulled back, “we need to stop otherwise I’ll never leave.” 

“Is that such a bad thing? We could run away together, somewhere no one will find us.” Sasuke said, only half-joking. 

Naruto looked into his eyes and tucked some wet strands of hair behind his ear, “we both know you aren’t running anywhere.” He leans in for a final kiss before getting up and walking to the door. 

He pauses for a minute, turning back to look at Sasuke in the bath. “I love you.” 

Sasuke’s blush returns with a vengeance, he tells himself his skin is flushed from the heat of the bath but really, he knows better. 

“Idiot,” he mutters softly, and Naruto’s smile is instant and adoring. 

“I’ll see you soon.” Naruto said as he left. 

He wasn’t to know that he wouldn’t see Sasuke for a long time. 

***** 

Sakura had taken it upon herself to visit Sasuke later that day. She greeted him at the door with a smug grin and Sasuke felt he had no choice but to let her inside. 

“Soooo…Did you ask him to the festival?” She asked, her green eyes glinting mischievously. 

“No, I didn’t need to, he asked me.” He said dismissively, walking down to the living room and taking a seat. 

She sighed as she flopped down dramatically on the sofa, “damn it! That means I owe Tsunade.” 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the woman, “you were betting on us!?” 

“Just a bit of friendly competition, you should hear what other bets we have on you two.” She winked at him, watching as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” He asks her, sending her one of his more vicious glares from his repertoire. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sasuke-kun.” She smiled at him sweetly feigning innocence. “So, tell me about your date! Did you watch the fireworks together? Did you hold hands? Did he kiss you? Oh my god, _you guys kissed!_ ” 

“God damnit woman shut up!” Sasuke said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not telling you a single thing, that’s between Naruto and I.” 

“Oh, you spoil sport! Though from your reaction I can tell something definitely _did_ happen. Of course, all those love bites on your neck also tell me that.” She then started laughing, or as Sasuke would describe it – cackling. 

Sasuke slapped his hand over his neck, internally cursing Naruto for his lack of subtlety. 

“All teasing aside, I’m really happy for you Sasuke. By the way, how do you feel about a baby shower?” 

“Not great if I’m honest.” Sasuke tells her dryly. 

“Come on Sasuke, it will just be people from rookie 9!” Sakura continues, like that would somehow swing it for him. 

“Sure, let’s have a party to celebrate the fact that I’m a pregnant man and they can all come and gawk at me.” Sasuke says, shooting her a irritated looked. 

“It will be a good chance to get everyone used to the idea. You can’t keep this secret for ever. Plus, you’ll get presents for the baby!” 

“There is no way I’m agreeing to it without Naruto.” Sasuke crossed his hands over the top of his bump and huffed – Sakura would never say it out loud, but he looked adorable. 

“Fine, when he gets back then! I’ll start planning it!” She said, rubbing her hands together and Sasuke wondered what kind of evil plans she was concocting in her head. Whatever was in store he would definitely need Naruto by his side, but there was no way of knowing when he would be back. It could be weeks. 

Sakura must have caught the saddened look that came over his features because she quickly added, “he will be back before you know it.” 

“I hope you’re right. I swear if that idiot misses the birth, I’ll kill him.” Sasuke resigned with a sigh. 

“There is no way he is going to miss it - you still have about 3 months to go!” 

***** 

Two months. 

He had been apart from Sasuke for two months. 

The mission had proved to be more difficult than anyone had anticipated. The rogue-nin they were after were extremely skilled at covering their tracks which made tracking them all the more challenging. 

Naruto had been sending messages to Sasuke via his frogs every few days to let the other know he was ok, but he had been unable to do so for about a week now, not wanting to do anything that might expose them. Sasuke was probably getting worried – a thought which made Naruto’s chest a little tight, anxiety clinging to him. 

Naruto and the team of ANBU were closing in on the targets, having pinpointed their location to a mountainous area near the border of Sound. Naruto knew they didn’t have long to make their move, from tracking their previous patterns they changed bases frequently to keep their whereabouts unknown. 

The air was eerily still, but the icy winds were biting. At night, the region would become bitterly cold, so they had to act quickly before dusk descended on them. Naruto was weary, chilled to his bones and he missed Sasuke desperately, but he knew he had to think smart. He adjusted his fox mask (he was a honorary ANBU member) and gathered the team of ANBU – dog, lion and monkey - he referred to them that way due to the masks they wore. He explained the plan of attack and his companions nodded and got into position. 

They moved in and the plan was executed perfectly – two out of the three were dead on the ground and they had the last one surrounding. For a second, the end was in sight. 

Then it all turned to shit. 

The last remaining rogue-nin removed their hood, the red-headed woman was fairly young and looked oddly confident for someone about to die. Her yellow eyes narrowed as she quickly several hand signals and suddenly the air around them turned black, effectively blinding Naruto’s team. 

Naruto was in sage mode and closed his eyes to detect the presence of the enemy. When he located her, she was already advancing, blade in hand ready to strike ‘monkey’ who was stood in a defensive stance, unaware of the impending attack. His legs were moving before he could think about anything else, as he pushed monkey to the ground, a rasengan whirling in his palm. 

He didn’t even realise he was injured until after he killed the woman, blasting a rasengan straight through her chest. As the thick, black smoke cleared, his first thought was that the blood covering the ground was hers, but then he noticed the jagged gash along his stomach, his bloodied flesh peaking out of the ANBU uniform he was wearing. 

Naruto was so used to being injured and recovering quickly that the sight of his wound didn’t cause him to worry, but the blood kept coming thick and fast and it showed no signs of congealing. 

_‘Kurama, I wouldn’t mind a little help here.’_

 _Naruto noted the uneasy look on the fox’s face, his nine tails swishing restlessly behind him, ‘Kurama what’s wrong?’_

_‘I can’t use my chakra to heal you, I think that blade was covered in some kind of poison that prevents chakra healing and also speeds up bleeding time.’ The tailed-beast told him gravely, sitting back on his hind legs._

_‘Not good…’ Naruto said, panic starting to settle in._

_‘Naruto if you don’t get medical help soon…’_

_‘Don’t even think like that, I can’t die like this. Not when…’_

_‘Naruto!’ Kurama barked at the slumped body of his host. ‘Don’t you dare give up now!’_

Monkey looked over to her leader, his naturally tanned skin now ghost-white. She took in his clothes, wet with blood and the pool of red on the ground where he was standing. Monkey stood and rushed to his side, “Captain, are you ok?” 

He didn’t reply. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back into his head and his knees gave out. Dog and Lion ran forward to help catch him. Dog was a medic-nin, so immediately cast a green glow over the gaping cut in the captain’s abdomen. 

“It’s not working!” Dog said through gritted teeth, having expended a lot of chakra trying to heal the blonde. “Something is blocking my chakra, we need to take him back to Konoha fast.” 

“He’s barely alive, there is no way he is going to make it!” Lion said, looking at the lifeless body of the captain. 

Monkey shook her head, knowing she would never be able to live with herself if they didn’t bring him back, he saved her life after all. “We have to at least try!” 

****** 

Sasuke jolted upright in bed, his whole body feeling hot and clammy despite the light clothing he was wearing. 

Another nightmare about Naruto. 

He had been having them frequently for the last few weeks and as the days since Naruto’s last message increased, they only became more vivid and unnerving. 

He gets out of bed and gives himself a moment to rub firmly at his lower back, which seems to constantly be aching these days. Getting up from a seated position was now a struggle thanks to the change in his centre of gravity that came with being around 8 months pregnant. He slipped on Naruto’s bathrobe and padded to the bathroom. That was another thing he loved about being heavily pregnant – having to go to pee at all times of the day and night. 

On his way out of the bathroom, he heard a banging on his door. Given that it was 3am, the fact that he had a visitor was alarming - but he figured that if it was someone trying to kill him, they wouldn’t be so courteous as to knock first. 

He knew something was wrong as soon as he saw Sakura’s green eyes, red and watery, her bottom lip trembling like she was trying desperately to hold it together. 

“Naruto…he’s hurt…He’s hurt really bad, Sasuke.” Her voice was small as a tear finally spilled down her cheek. 

It was like someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water down his back, he felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs as his heart twisted painfully in his chest. “Take me to him.” 

Sasuke followed Sakura to the hospital, going as fast as he possibly could. He ignored the sharp pains that were shooting across his belly and continued walking. 

_‘Naruto, you promised you wouldn’t leave us.’_

_‘You said you would come back to me…’_

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another cliff hanger! It will all be ok I promise and I won't keep you hanging for too long <3
> 
> Four more chapters left *o* 
> 
> Thank you for all your comments and love xx


	11. Revival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long, I wanted to get a particular scene right and it took me a bit longer than expected.

### Chapter Eleven: Revival 

Upon seeing Naruto’s lifeless body hooked up to various machines, he feels his whole body crumble. He would have collapsed to the floor if Sakura hadn’t of been there to keep him stable. 

“What happened?” He manages to croak out as Sakura guides him to a chair by Naruto’s hospital bed. 

“He was cut with a poisoned blade; the poison blocks any kind of chakra healing – including the Kyuubi’s. We haven’t encountered anything like this before and Tsunade is trying to create an antidote, but we haven’t been successful so far.” She explained solemnly. “I stitched him up the best I could, but the poison is still affecting him.” 

Sasuke reaches out to brush a scarred cheek which feels cold to the touch, “so, he’s in a coma?” 

Sakura nods, “a medically induced coma, to prevent further cell and tissue damage.” 

“Will he wake up?” Sasuke looked up at her and she took note of the wordless plea to be truthful in his eyes. 

“Sasuke, I wish I could tell you he is going to be ok, but the truth is we just don’t know. Tsunade is looking through some of Orochimaru's old research notes, there might be something there.” She told him, allowing a glimmer of hope to sound in her voice. 

Sasuke remained silent and directed his gaze back towards Naruto. 

“I will leave you with him for a moment.” She squeezes his shoulder gently before she leaves. 

Now he is alone, there is nothing to stop him holding back the tears. He leans his head on Naruto’s chest, and he can make out the very faint beating of his heart. 

“Naruto you idiot,” he sobbed quietly, “you promised. You promised you wouldn’t die on me.” Part of him was hoping Naruto would miraculously awaken after hearing his words 

He clutched his stomach, the shooting pains worsening, and he cried out. 

Sakura must have heard him because she rushed into the room. “Sasuke?!” 

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Though the strained tone of his voice and the way his eyes were screwed shut said otherwise. 

“Are you having stomach pains? It could be false labour, but it is a little early for that. Sasuke you need to breathe, getting worked up is not good for the baby, he or she needs to stay in there a little longer.” Her pink brows are furrowed in concern. 

Sasuke blinks up at the ceiling, his lashes thick dark with tears, and he exhales deeply. 

“That’s it Sasuke, just keep breathing.” Sakura encouraged him and he continues to breathe in and out deliberately, long counts to slow his racing heart and sooth the waves of antagonising pain rippling over his stomach. 

“We will do everything to save him, and whatever happens, you’re not alone, Sasuke.” Sakura tells him, watching how Sasuke looked longingly at Naruto. She never would have thought she would see her former crush like this, so unbelievably sad it was pathetic - in an endearing kind of way. Love does weird things to people, she mused. 

Sasuke’s pain seemed to ease up as he relaxed back in his chair and rubbed his belly tenderly. 

“We have to take Naruto to run some more tests, do you want to wait here?” She asked, already predicting Sasuke’s response. 

“I’m not leaving him.” 

***** 

Sasuke had been practically living in Naruto’s hospital room, only leaving to use the hospital showers or to bring back food. They had wheeled in an extra hospital bed, which was far from comfortable to sleep on, but it was better than sleeping alone back at the apartment, constantly worrying about Naruto. 

Sakura popped in multiple times whenever she had breaks from her shifts on the ward – Sasuke had a feeling she was checking up on him, rather than visiting Naruto. Despite being emotionally and physically fatigued, Sasuke had experienced no further signs of false labour. 

He had hoped things would continue this way, until Naruto got better at least. But on the third day Naruto was in a coma, he had visitors. Four of them – Kiba, Hinata, Sai and Shikamaru. 

To say it was awkward was an understatement. 

While Sasuke’s current condition didn’t come as a surprise to Hinata, she looked deeply shocked at the sight of Naruto in his coma induced state. 

The eyes of the three men widened comically as they took in the sight of Sasuke, heavily pregnant. Sasuke stared them down, daring them to say something but they remained tight lipped. Perhaps Sakura had threatened them with physical violence if they said anything to upset him, like he was some delicate flower. 

Kiba cleared his throat, “any news on Naruto?” 

Sasuke was impressed at the mutt’s restraint, he could tell from the way his eyes kept darting to Sasuke’s belly that he was just dying to say something. “No news, but they are testing a new antidote today.” 

“So troublesome, only Naruto would get himself injured with an incurable poison.” Shikamaru sighed, his tone indifferent but the concerned expression on his face said otherwise. 

“You’re pregnant.” Sai said flatly, his face as blank as always. 

“Are you crazy!? Were you not listening to Sakura at all?! You’ve got a death wish…” Kiba hissed at his side, confirming Sasuke’s earlier suspicions. 

Sasuke bristled and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s correct. Before you ask - yes, I’m a man and yes, it’s Naruto’s.” 

“Then h-how?!” Kiba stuttered, his mind unable to comprehend the idea. 

“Altered form of Naruto’s jutsu.” He replied shortly. 

“So, you and Naruto…” Kiba begins and Sasuke’s eyes narrowed dangerously at him. 

“Kiba, give Sasuke some space and stop being so nosy. Their relationship is none of our business.” Shikamaru says, and Sasuke was thankful for his intervention. 

Sai was always late on picking up social cues, “Sasuke, I just want to know one thing… Does Naruto really have a small-” 

“SAI!” Sakura had entered the room just in time to prevent Sai from finishing his sentence. “What did I tell you earlier!? You’re lucky we are in a hospital otherwise I would be smashing your face into the floor right now.” She yanked Sai back by his shirt, “come on, your time is up. We need the room to test the new antidote.” 

The others were ushered out of the room, but Hinata stayed back, twiddling her fingers. 

“Sasuke-kun, I wanted to say sorry. For how I reacted that day and for what I said to you.” She said and although her eyes were fixed on the ground, her tone was sincere. 

“I understand, you were hurt.” Sasuke conceded. 

“I was, but there was no excuse for the mean things I said to you. I shouldn’t have said that you didn’t deserve Naruto. I can see how much you care about him.” She said, glancing up at him. 

Sasuke nodded and she gave him a small smile before leaving. 

Tsunade entered the room followed by Shizune, who was pushing a trolley. Sasuke eyed the various syringes on top of the trolley cautiously, but he trusted that Naruto was in the best hands. 

“Are we good to go?” Tsunade asks Sakura, who was busy checking Naruto’s vitals. 

“As good as ever.” She replies, and Sasuke can tell she is anxious. 

Tsunade looks to Sasuke, “it might be best if you wait outside.” 

Sasuke responds with a glare that tells her he isn’t leaving the room and plants himself firmly on a chair towards the back, not wanting to get in their way. 

“Suit yourself. Let’s begin.” She snaps on a pair of disposable gloves and picks up the first syringe, containing a green liquid, injecting it into Naruto’s arm. Within seconds, the heart rate monitor Naruto is hooked up to starts beeping erratically. 

“Shizune, now!” The Hokage orders and her subordinate unravels a scroll before making hands signals for a jutsu Sasuke was unfamiliar with. Dark markings appeared on Naruto’s skin and then his body began to convulse. 

Sasuke’s eyes widened, his knuckles white from where he is gripping the arms of the chair so tight and he fights the urge to rush to Naruto’s side, knowing he had to let the women do their job. 

Sakura held him down as Tsunade prepared the next syringe, injecting it swiftly into the same arm. The dark marks faded from Naruto's skin and blood started dribbling out of the orifices of the blonde’s face as Tsunade grabbed the remaining syringe on the trolley. 

Naruto’s body was shaking, causing the hospital bed to rattle and Sakura strengthened her grip to keep him as still as possible. Tsunade took the last syringe and stabbed it straight over Naruto’s heart, letting the fluid flow into his blood vessels. 

The shaking ceased and the room was silent save for the sound of the heart monitor flatlining. Shizune covered her hands over Naruto’s torso and attempted to heal him. Minutes passed by and nothing happened, blood still seeped from his nose, saturating the hospital gown he wore. The green glow faded, and the three women looked at each other, Tsunade gave a subtle shake of her head. 

Shizune took a step back, avoiding Sasuke’s eyes and Sakura turned away and he could tell by the trembling of her shoulders that she was crying. 

“Sasuke, I’m sorry.” Tsunade began, her voice unusually shaky. 

“Don’t tell me you’re sorry! Just keep trying! There must be something else that works!” Sasuke yelled, getting up from the chair and walking towards Naruto’s bed. 

“That was our best shot Sasuke, and even if we wanted to try something else, Naruto is…” She continued, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to finish her sentence. 

Sasuke pushed past her to get to Naruto’s side. “You stupid, stupid moron!” Tears falling freely as he thumped his fist down on the blonde’s chest, where his heart lay motionless. 

“I can’t do this without you.” He whispers, “you can’t leave me alone.” 

Tsunade looked on sadly as she headed towards the door, she motioned for Shizune and Sakura to leave as well, wanting to give Sasuke some space to grieve. 

“You fucking promised.” Sasuke all but wails. 

Naruto splutters, spraying his bed linen with blood and Sasuke thinks it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard. 

The heart rate monitor gives a weak bleep and the three medic-nin are back around Naruto within seconds, all focusing their chakra on healing. 

For every second that passes, the bleeding from his nose and mouth slows and the colour returns to Naruto’s cheeks. The beeping on the machine gets faster, but Sasuke only breathes again when he sees the blue of Naruto’s eyes again as he blinks blearily. 

Naruto reaches for him with shaking hands and touches Sasuke’s tear-wet cheeks, “Sasuke are you ok?” his voice is cracked and raspy. 

Sasuke feels like crying all over again, because of course Naruto’s first thought it of Sasuke’s well-being even when he has just come back from the brink of death. 

Sasuke all but collapses on Naruto, burying his nose in the crook of his neck. Naruto’s hand finds its way into Sasuke’s hair, the other smooths up and down his back. “It’s ok Sasuke, I’m here.” He whispers, pressing a kiss against Sasuke’s temple. 

“You were dead.” Sasuke mumbles against Naruto’s skin. 

Naruto chuckles weakly, “I told you I would come back to you, Sasuke.” 

Sasuke lifted his head, “you don’t understand, you were actually dead. You left-” 

“Shhh,” Naruto coos, “I’m sorry.” 

“Just don’t do that to me again.” Sasuke sniffles pitifully. 

“I won’t.” Naruto moves to sit up, grimacing slightly. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and Sasuke moves back to give him more space. 

“C’mere, let me see how big you are.” Naruto pulls Sasuke in closer, so he is standing between his legs. “Holy shit! You’re huge!” He places his hands either side of Sasuke’s belly, amazed at how much bigger it had gotten. 

“Yeah well I’ve only got three more weeks to go.” Sasuke tells him, with a hint of pride. Afterall there were doubts he would be able to carry the baby this far, yet here he was, almost at the finish line. 

Naruto gives him a warm smile and wraps his arms around him, resting his cheek on the rounded curve of Sasuke’s stomach. “I’ve missed you so damn much.” He whispers. 

Sasuke sighs and runs his fingers through Naruto’s hair. 

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, the boys look over to see Tsunade and Sakura had re-entered the room, not that either of them had noticed that the women had left in the first place. 

“I’m glad to see you are feeling better Naruto, it seems the chakra blocking effect of the poison has been neutralised. After what your body has been through you will probably feel quite weak for a few days. I would like to keep you in overnight.” She paused, noting Naruto’s crestfallen expression, “but I’m guessing you’d rather go home.” 

The blonde nodded his head enthusiastically, causing Tsunade to roll her eyes. You would never have guessed the brat’s heart had stopped beating not that long ago, but he always did bounce back fast, she thought to herself. 

“Only on the condition that you come in for a check up tomorrow and if you experience any change in your condition you come back here immediately. Is that clear?” She told him sternly. 

Naruto nodded again, grinning and hugging Sasuke closer to him. 

“Ok then, and I expect a full mission report by the end of the week.” She offered a small smile, relieved like everyone else that Naruto had pulled through. 

As Tsunade left, Naruto made to stand up, but his legs were like jelly, Sakura went to his side to help support him as Sasuke could only take so much of the blonde’s weight given his current condition. 

“Take it easy, Naruto.” She chided as he tried to take a wobbly step forward. “Now make sure you get plenty of rest, no _extraneous activities_.” Sakura added, making both of them blush. “Sasuke, don’t forget you are on bed rest too – if you have any more pains let me know right away.” 

“What pains?” Naruto asked, searching Sasuke’s face for answers. 

Sasuke swallowed thickly, “nothing, let’s go.” 

Naruto pursed his lips, like he wanted to push the matter further, but he could sense Sasuke’s discomfort. 

Sakura hugged them both and left them in the room. 

Naruto changed out of the bloodied hospital gown he had been wearing into some loose-fitting clothes that a nurse had brought in and Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand, pulling him towards the door. “Let’s go home.” 

“Wait, I forgot to give you this.” 

Before Sasuke could ask what Naruto was talking about, he swooped down a planted a kiss on Sasuke’s lips. “Ok now we can go!” 

Sasuke laughed softly, “idiot.” 

***** 

They stopped to get some ramen to take home and ate it as soon as they got in. 

Naruto sat back in his chair, patting his slightly bloated stomach, “ah, just what I needed. Ramen really is the best medicine.” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he cleared the bowls away, one hand on the small of his back to rub at the aching muscles. 

“Looks like you need a hot bath.” Naruto stated, noticing Sasuke 

“Might be a good idea. I haven’t had one since before you were admitted to hospital.” Sasuke replied as he washed up the dishes in the sink. 

“You were staying there the whole time?” Naruto asked him. 

“Yeah well I didn’t want to leave.” The ‘without you’ was left unsaid, part of him not wanting to recognise the state of co-dependency they had fallen into. 

“Y’know.” Naruto began slowly, “I wouldn’t say no to a bath right now.” 

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “what are you suggesting exactly?” 

“We could…have a bath…together. To, you know, conserve hot water.” Naruto said, innocently enough. 

Sasuke studied him carefully, “and you wouldn’t be using that as an excuse to see me naked and grope me?” 

Naruto brought a hand to his chest in mock offense, “why Sasuke I am really insulted that you would think that. You take me for nothing but a cheap pervert!” 

“That’s exactly what you are. Now start running the bath before I change my mind.” 

Naruto practically jumped with glee and scuttled off to the bathroom. 

When Sasuke entered the bathroom minutes later he was surprised to see Naruto already in the tub, awaiting him with a massive grin. Judging from the amount of bubbles, he had been generous with the bubble bath, which was good because Sasuke wanted to stay as covered as possible. 

“How is this going to work? I don’t think there is enough room for both of us.” Sasuke asked him with an arched eyebrow. Naruto was well over 6ft tall, his feet were sticking out over the edge and Sasuke was so big and pregnant now he was doubted whether he would even fit in the tub. 

“Nonsense! There is plenty of space!” Naruto insisted. 

Sasuke didn’t move from his spot. 

“I’ll close my eyes if that’s what you’re worried about, no peeking this time.” Naruto put both hands over his eyes and turned his face away so Sasuke could be sure he wasn’t looking. 

He peeled off the t-shirt and shorts he had been wearing and dropped them next to the pile of Naruto’s hospital clothes. He steadied his hand on the edge of the bathtub and carefully stepped into the water. 

“You alright, Sasuke?” Naruto asked, resisting the urge to help him, knowing would not appreciate being treated like an invalid. 

“Yeah I’m fine.” Sasuke replied through gritted teeth, hating feeling helpless. He lowered himself in the tub – which was quite a struggle due to the extra passenger he was carrying and landed almost gracefully in the water. He quickly gathered the bubbles around himself before Naruto opened his eyes. 

“You can stretch your legs out.” Naruto told him, picking up Sasuke’s feet by the ankles and guiding them to rest on top of his thighs. 

Sasuke closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm water wash over him. He could smell lavender which told him Naruto had added that oil that he liked. He tried to relax and not focus on the feel of Naruto’s muscular legs against his. 

“How about a foot massage?” Naruto suggested, picking up one of Sasuke’s feet, not fazed by the sceptical look he received in return. 

He started at the heel, pressing firmly into the flesh there, kneading it carefully. Sasuke’s eyelids fluttered shut and he hummed with pleasure as Naruto’s thumbs purposefully rubbed over the arch of his foot, repeating this motion several times. Encouraged by the expression of sheer bliss on the dark-haired man’s face, Naruto started to increase the pressure of his hands. 

Smiling, Naruto then lifted Sasuke’s foot, leaned forward and brushed his lips of the ankle in front of him. The resulting gasp sent a shiver down Naruto’s spine. He moved his fingers further up Sasuke’s leg, digging into the soft skin of Sasuke’s calves, making circular motions while travelling all the way back down to his ankles. 

His eyes were still fixed on Sasuke’s face, Naruto took in the faint pink tinge to his cheeks, while his thumbs pressed into the sole of his former rival’s foot causing a quiet moan to escape his lips. 

By the time Naruto started on the other foot, Sasuke was a panting mess. The dark-haired man’s head was inclined to the side, his eyes closed, and a relaxed expression graced his features. Naruto felt the air catch in his throat as he stared at him. 

It only took a few moments for Sasuke to blink hazily, then level his inquiring eyes at the blonde. “Why’d you stop?” He asked, his words slurred slightly, wiggling his toes against the fingers still resting on them. 

“If you come here, I can do your shoulders.” Naruto’s voice was so low and husky, he could barely recognise it. 

Sasuke nodded lazily and moved his body with some difficulty, so he was sitting in between Naruto’s legs. Naruto’s hands landed gently, on his shoulders. He curled his thumb around the back of Sasuke’s neck with careful pressure. Naruto began to work his thumbs into the muscles either side of Sasuke’s spine, right underneath the curve of his skull. “Feel ok?” 

“Mm-hmm. Feels good.” Sasuke murmured. 

Boldly, he let his tongue dart out and trace the smooth skin along Sasuke’s neck before nipping at his earlobe. He felt Sasuke squirm against him. 

“Naruto…” It was amazing how a single word could sound so pleading and yet so demanding at the same time. Naruto felt his blood boil in his veins at the sound of his name on Sasuke’s lips. 

Naruto pulled Sasuke gently by his shoulders, so he was flush against his chest. Sasuke’s head lolled back against his shoulder as one of the blonde’s hands made its way to rub at Sasuke’s nipples, while the other cupped the bottom of his belly. 

“You look so good like this, Sasuke.” Naruto practically purred in his ear. “All wet and writhing, and pregnant with my baby.” He added, pinching his nipple hard and Sasuke moaned, arching his back beautifully. 

Naruto had been half-hard ever since his hands touched Sasuke’s skin, but if Sasuke could feel it, pressing against his lower back, he didn’t mention it. 

“Sasuke I just can’t get enough of you. Now I know you’re mine…” He sucked at Sasuke’s neck until he was satisfied there would be a red mark. “I want you all the time.” He continued in between nips just below his ear. 

Naruto slowly moved the hand on Sasuke’s belly lower, giving the other man plenty of time to stop him, until his fingers were brushing along his semi-hard cock. 

Sasuke spread his legs as much as he could, sending water sloshing over the edge of the tub. Naruto worked his hand over Sasuke’s length until it was thick and firm in his palm. 

“You’re mine, aren’t you Sasuke?” Naruto’s hot breath in his ear combined with his hand, jerking him slowly was agonising in the best way possible. 

Sasuke clutched the rim of the rub, knees pressed against the sides, as Naruto’s movements increased, hand slapping against the surface of the water. “Yes,” he groaned. “Yours, I’m all yours.” 

Naruto ground his erection against Sasuke’s lower back. “You drive me so crazy sometimes I think I’m going insane.” 

Sasuke’s body trembled, heat spiralling out from his belly as he came with Naruto’s name on his lips. Sasuke slumped against him and Naruto continued to stroke him though the aftershocks of his orgasm. 

Sasuke’s eyes blinked open wearily, and he became acutely aware that Naruto’s arousal was still pressing into his back, crying out for attention. 

The Uchiha turned in the bath and reached for the blonde’s hard length but Naruto stopped him by grabbing his wrist, “Sasuke, you don’t have to.” 

“I want to.” He said as he dragged his fingers along the rigid flesh which was impossibly hard and hot to the touch. 

“Oh fuck…” Naruto moaned, his eyes rolling back into his head as Sasuke wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking him firmly. Sasuke speeded up his movements, ignoring the discomfort from twisting his body in this position. It doesn’t take much to send Naruto over the edge, his hips stutter and a final curl over the tip of his cock has him coming in Sasuke’s hand. 

Naruto sighed and pulled Sasuke back against him, tilting his head towards him so that their lips could meet. They kissed deeply until Sasuke’s neck started to hurt from the awkward angle, forcing them to break apart. Sasuke rested his head on Naruto’s shoulder, placing his hands over blonde’s which were splayed over his bump. 

“So, are you going to tell me what Sakura was talking about back at the hospital?” Naruto asked him softly and he feels Sasuke tense up in his arms. 

Sasuke hesitated momentarily, only because he knew once he explained Naruto would start blaming himself. 

“Sasuke, if it’s about the baby, I have a right to know.” Naruto pleaded and Sasuke knew Naruto would not let this go. 

“When I first found out you were hurt and then when I saw you in that hospital bed, I started having these stomach pains.” He began, all too aware of Naruto’s burning gaze on him. “And it kept getting worse, Sakura told me it was false labour.” 

Naruto tightened his hold on him, “Sasuke, I’m so sorry I put you under so much stress.” 

“It wasn’t your fault Naruto, and everything is fine now.” Sasuke said, trying to put him at ease. 

The blonde shook his head, “if anything would have happened to you or the baby because of me, I would-” 

“Shh.” Sasuke squeezed his hands. “We’re ok.” 

They lounged together for a few moments until their fingers started to prune and the coolness of the water became unpleasant. 

Naruto got out first, allowing Sasuke to fully appreciate the blonde in all his naked glory. From his thick, muscular legs to his sculpted backside and the broad expanse of his back, Sasuke couldn’t look away. Then Naruto turned around and gave him a blinding grin, holding his arms out to help Sasuke out of the tub. Naruto grabbed a large, fluffy white bath towel and draped it over Sasuke’s head. 

He chuckled, “you look like an adorable little kitty.” 

Sasuke sent him a glare and Naruto quickly added, “I mean a dangerous, deadly kitty.” 

“Idiot.” Sasuke muttered. 

Naruto retrieved a towel for himself, drying his upper body before wrapping it loosely around his waist. 

Sasuke’s eyes travelled down his chest to the spiral tattoo on his belly, noting the large scar on his lower abdomen. He reached out, his fingers lightly tracing the scar tissue there. “I almost lost you for good…” He murmured. 

Naruto hugged the shorter man close to him. “Sasuke, I promise I’ll always come back to you.” 

###### 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> I think it's about time for this baby to be born, don't you?


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